Roy Jenkins: the frustrations of pro-European constancy

Ludlow, N. Piers ORCID: 0000-0002-4883-4536 (2025) Roy Jenkins: the frustrations of pro-European constancy. In: Broad, Matthew and King, William, (eds.) The Labour Party and European Integration: A Biographical Approach. Bristol University Press, Bristol, UK, 174 - 191. ISBN 9781529243895

Text (Roy Jenkins and the Frustrations of pro-European Constancy) - Accepted Version Repository staff only until 21 October 2026. Download (647kB)

Abstract

Roy Jenkins was the most consistently pro-European politician covered in this volume. This brought him early prominence, was of some importance in Labour’s turn to Europe during the late 1960s, proved crucial during the key 1971 parliamentary vote on membership and during the 1975 referendum campaign and explains his four-year stint as European Commission president. But it also complicated and ultimately broke his relationship with the Labour Party, causing clashes with Gaitskell, Wilson and Callaghan, and encouraging his move to form the breakaway SDP. This chapter will explore why Jenkins believed so passionately in Britain’s European participation and why, unlike so many other Labour politicians, he refused to temper or trim these beliefs.

Item Type:	Book Section
Additional Information:	© 2025 Bristol University Press
Divisions:	International History
Subjects:	J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe) > JN101 Great Britain J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe)
Date Deposited:	13 Nov 2025 10:18
Last Modified:	14 Nov 2025 09:51
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/130154

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