Parliament and Politics in the Age of Asquith and Lloyd George
The Diaries of Cecil Harmsworth MP, 1909–22

Cecil Harmsworth's diary is an account of his time as a Liberal MP under Herbert Asquith and Lloyd George.

Andrew Thorpe (Edited by), Richard Toye (Edited by)

9781107162457, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 30 June 2016

367 pages
22.3 x 14.5 x 2.5 cm, 0.59 kg

Cecil Bisshop Harmsworth, 1st Baron Harmsworth (1869–1948), was the younger brother of the press proprietors Lord Northcliffe and Lord Rothermere. Although he played a role in the early development of the Harmsworth journalistic empire, Cecil chose a political career. He served as Liberal MP for Droitwich from 1906 to 1910, and for Luton from 1911 to 1922. After holding a number of minor government positions under Asquith, Harmsworth became a member of Lloyd George's War Cabinet Secretariat in 1917, and from 1919 to 1922 served as Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign Office. Harmsworth's diary forms a highly readable record of the politics of the period, detailing late-night Commons sittings and the rough and tumble of the campaign trail, as well as giving skilful pen-portraits of the major figures of the day. Northcliffe complained that Harmsworth lacked the ambition to make it to the front rank of politics, but his diary is a fascinating source.

Acknowledgements
Introduction
The diaries
1. 1909
2. 1910
3. 1911
4. 1912
5. 1913
6. 1914
7. 1915
8. 1916
9. 1917
10. 1918
11. 1919
12. 1920
13. 1921
14. 1922
Index.

Subject Areas: Politics & government [JP], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], British & Irish history [HBJD1], History [HB]