Annual Lecture: Clement Attlee’s Labour Governments of 1945-51

The History of Parliament Trust is delighted to invite you to our Annual Lecture for 2025 on Tuesday 16 December in the Attlee Suite, Portcullis House, Westminster, 6:30pm to 9pm, with the lecture to begin at 7pm.

This year's lecture, Clement Attlee’s Labour Governments of 1945-51: A Reappraisal, will be given by Rt Hon. Nick Thomas-Symonds, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General (Minister for the Constitution and European Union Relations).

Note on the Speaker

Rt Hon. Nick Thomas-Symonds is Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General (Minister for the Constitution and European Union Relations) and has served as the Labour MP for Torfaen since 2015. He was born and brought up in the Welsh Valleys constituency of Torfaen, where he has always lived. Before being elected as an MP, Nick was a trained barrister and historian. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 2012 and has written three biographies of Labour Politicians, Attlee: A Life in Politics (2010) and Nye: The Political Life of Aneurin Bevan (2014) and in September 2022 he published Harold Wilson: The Winner. In Opposition, Nick served as Shadow Minister for Work and Pensions, Shadow Solicitor General, Shadow Minister for Security, Shadow Home Secretary and Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade. Before the 2024 election, Nick was appointed as Shadow Minister Without Portfolio in the Cabinet Office, where he began the work to reset Britain’s relationship with the EU, and create manifesto policy on the UK-EU relationship and the constitution. He is married to Rebecca, and they have three children, Matilda, Florence and William.

The lecture is scheduled to last an hour between 7-8pm. Guests are invited to join us for a pre-lecture drink on arrival, with the lecture to be followed by a drinks reception and canapes.

Further information

Attendance is free, but you must register on this site in order to attend.

Visitors to Portcullis House will be asked to show their ticket and may need to show photo ID. Please note that you will have to go through airport-style security to gain entrance to Parliament; we recommend arriving 20 minutes before the start of the event - at busy times there is often a queue. For more information on security and gaining access to the parliamentary estate please click here.

Guests will be sent an email containing further access information and a formal Parliament-approved ticket closer to the event.

Please contact jbaker@histparl.ac.uk with any queries or additional access requirements.