Harold Wilson Lecture
The Harold Wilson Lecture is an annual public lecture hosted by the University of Huddersfield.
Each year the University welcomes a public figure drawn from politics, the church, and public life more widely, to bring a lecture in honour of former Prime Minister Harold Wilson, who was born in Huddersfield.
Previous high-profile speakers include former Prime Ministers, the Rt Hon Sir John Major in 2022 and the Rt Hon Gordon Brown in 2018, as well as key figures in the church, former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams in 2017 and Bishop of Leeds Rt Revd Nick Baines in 2019.
For booking information on the next in the series of lectures please visit the University’s Central Events Eventbrite page.
About Harold Wilson
Born in the Cowlersley area of Huddersfield in 1916, Harold Wilson went on to serve as Prime Minister on two separate occasions, winning four General Elections and spending around eight years at 10 Downing Street in total.
His political career began in 1945 when he was elected as the Labour Member of Parliament for Ormskirk in Lancashire. Two years later he took on his first Ministerial role, firstly Secretary for Overseas Trade, before being appointed President of the Board of Trade.
In 1963 he became Leader of the Labour Party and subsequently led the Party to victory at the General Election the following year. Wilson served as Prime Minister from 1964 to 1970 as well as 1974 and 1976.
He was awarded a peerage after leaving the House of Commons in 1983, taking the title Lord Wilson of Rievaulx and entering the House of Lords. He died in 1995 and the University subsequently named a key building in his honour. The Harold Wilson building was built in 1999 and is home to some of the School of Human and Health Sciences' courses.
The Rt Hon Sir John Major
Speaking at the 2022 Harold Wilson Lecture
“If politics degenerates to a clash of personalities and ideologies and has no common endeavour then it is truly failing the public. Without a moral element, then Parliament is a body without a heart.”
The Rt Hon Gordon Brown
Speaking at the 2018 Harold Wilson Lecture
“The starting point is to learn lessons from Harold Wilson’s life, so that no matter how important economic objectives are, your priorities are not that the successful run away with all the gains and that you have a social conscience that benefits people in need.”
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