Hexham Book Festival

Alan Johnson – Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson, a key 20th-century politician, served as Prime Minister twice and won four elections, including a referendum on the UK’s European Community membership. His era saw major reforms, from legalizing homosexuality to advancing women’s rights, protecting ethnic minorities, and founding the Open University, transforming the lives of ordinary people. In his latest book Alan Johnson, former Labour minister and bestselling author, presents a portrait of Wilson as a truly twentieth century man, whose ‘white heat’ speech called for a scientific revolution, symbolizing the 1960s alongside icons like the Beatles and the Profumo scandal.  

In conversation with Chris Mullin