Event Type: Branch

Takes Place: 8th December 2026

Time: 7pm

Venue: Room 1.09, Park Building, King Henry I St, Portsmouth, PO1 2BZ

Description: Ted Morris is the author of Managing Decline: British Foreign Secretaries of the Twentieth Century, published earlier this year. This lecture will explore how the role of Foreign Secretary has evolved through the course of the century, in terms of both the political standing of the incumbent and Britain’s changing role in the world. Drawing on the experiences of the thirty-one men how held the post, he will seek to set out what factors may lead to a successful tenure. There will be a particular focus on Portsmouth’s local boy: James Callaghan, whose time as Foreign Secretary has been a generally overlooked period in a long and eventful ministerial career.

How to book: Just turn up

Email: portsmouthhistorybranch@gmail.com

Lecturer: Ted Morris

Region: South-East England

Branch: Portsmouth