Edward Heath, 1965–70 and 1974–5

Abstract

Edward Heath fought four General Elections as Conservative Party leader, and his record exhibits a curious symmetry. He led the party into two elections in which its chances of overall victory were negligible: not long after he became leader (1966), and very close to the end of his stint (October 1974). In between, he fought one election that he seemed certain to lose, but prevailed against the odds (1970); and another (February 1974), which most people expected the Conservatives to win, but instead resulted in a narrow defeat that was heavily freighted with consequences for Heath and his party.