The Thorpe Leadership: 1967–1976

Abstract

Jo Grimond was succeeded as Leader of the party by Jeremy Thorpe. Although Thorpe was probably the best known of the Liberal MPs, he was by no means the obvious successor. When the Parliamentary Liberal Party first voted on the leadership, Jeremy Thorpe received six votes, whilst his two rivals, Emlyn Hooson and Eric Lubbock, each received three. Both Hooson and Lubbock then withdrew from the election, leaving Thorpe to be elected unanimously. Born in 1929, Thorpe was 38 when elected leader of the party. Educated at Eton and Oxford, he had subsequently made a distinguished legal career. He had first been elected for North Devon in 1959 (which he had won by a mere 362 votes) but had since held the seat continuously. He was a brilliant speaker, with a gift for mimicry which led some critics to see him as essentially a political lightweight, and his experience in Liberal politics had included the Treasurership of the party since 1965.