Top 10 Best Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom

The Top Ten
1 Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was a British statesman who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955. Churchill was also an officer in the British Army, a historian, and a writer.

Churchill is the greatest politician in modern history, much better than any of your American "heroes"! For Petes sake you guys know nothing about history, Franklin D Roosevelt sold Poland to the Soviets for them to join the UN in exchange; this did nothing to stop the cold war. And as far as Churchill being racist, if he hadn't lived this world would be Nazi occupied nothing more racist than that, and "Churchill's" concentration camps that is a fake conspiracy. to end this I will quote him; "...ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone. At any rate, that is what we are going to try to do..." now shut up your fake, KKK news

Yeah dudes! Actually, without the UK joining the Allied Forces during both World Wars, the Nazis destroyed the British army COMPLETELY. but Sir Winston Churchill's speeches inspired his troops. It's even inspired me. 1 thing I LOVED about him was his quotes. My favorite 1's r:
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it's the will to continue that counts"

And

"If you're going through hell, keep going"

I think that Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was the greatest leader during the Second World War. He brought hope to British people when the United Kingdom was besieged by the Nazists. The United Kingdom is the country in the world that I admire the most.

Totally agree that Winston Churchill should be first. He brought a whole nation together during WWII with his uplifting speeches and his "Keep calm and carry on" message to its people. I admire him. He's a hero in my eyes.

2 Clement Attlee

Won Labour there first majority in 1945, over Conservatives' Mr. Churchill/ Britain was in debt and de-moralised after the War, he re-nationalised industries like coal and oil and created thousands of jobs. He also created free universal healthcare in the form of the NHS. Yes he was from a privileged background but he knew how to help the working class of our country. A lesson for supports of David Cameron's cuts, when you are in debt you need to spend money to get people back to work and paying tax not austerity.
Jermey Cobyn is another Democratic Socialist who will do much the same, if Labour's elected in 2012.

Contrast him with Thatcher he worked hard to make UK better and improve the nations lot .
Thatcher was a carbuncle on society and wrecked lives.

The most definitive example of why Socialism as a doctrine fails in practise just as badly as it fails in theory. Easily the most overrated Prime Minister in history. Thank this mans administration for Britain being the sick man of Europe for so long, creating wholly destitute welfare dependent sections of this once proud nation.

A great man who made Britain work for the many and not the few. He implemented socialist policies without creating a socialist country; honestly a disgrace that he's not top of the list. The reforms he introduced were well overdue and Britain wouldn't be Britain without him. His memory is our greatest weapon.

3 Tony Blair Anthony Charles Lynton Blair, originally known as Anthony Blair, but later as Tony Blair, is a British Labour Party politician, who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, from 1997 to 2007. From 1983 to 2007, Blair was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield, and from 1994 to 2007, Blair was the Leader of the Labour Party.

I have limited knowledge of pre WW2 PM's but Blair is my favourite post war. He propagated Labour principles whilst enacting sensible policy which could be applied in the modern world. He understood that the poor must be helped (which many tories don't) whilst not encouraging the poverty trap (which is what left wing labour wants). You must help them to help themselves. Only Labour PM elected in nearly 50 years. Hopefully Starmer gets elected as whilst he isn't as inspiring as Blair he has common sense which Corbyn didn't.

In his first term he was radical he introduced a minimum wage, spent more the NHS and schools which were left to crumble under the Conservatives.

Not very left wing he did not re-nationalise anything and did not increase taxes on business, his big mistake was Iraq!

Blair's policies help reshaped Britain thanks to his reforms and policies. However, if he didn't accept President Bush's decisions to be part of the war in the Middle East. He would've been a better PM.

One terrible misjudgement over the Iraq war, but otherwise a great leader and true statesman, but with compassionate social democrat tendencies. Made Labour electable after 20 years and Foot, Benn and a young Corbyn destroyed the party

4 Harold Wilson

A personal favourite

I am a socialist

A very smart man, who, despite flaws, did a tremendous amount of good for the country

5 Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was a British stateswoman and politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and the Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the longest-serving British Prime Minister of the 20th century and was the first ever woman to be Prime Minister, having defeated James Callaghan in the 1979 General Election.

The Iron Lady
Not winning a constituency in 1950 could stop her, eventually winning in 1959, one of the first MP's to be a woman, wining the Conservative leadership in 1975, and then General Election in 1979.
Starting from working in a bakery, to being dubbed 'The Iron Lady' by the soviets, and evening dancing with Ronald Reagan, this is not just a political story, this is a story of true success. From having some of the lowest approval ratings, after vigorous spending cuts, to Winning The Falklands War, a true war that was never declared. Striking fear into the Argentinian Navy, and feeling the stings of it today.
She will be remembered, saving the economy, Winning the Falklands back, and helping to bring down the soviets, and not caring much for re-election, she got the job done, and by God she did it well.

A strong women with new ideas based on US free market economy she did what she said she would. It's a shame these actions including spending cuts lead to a 3.5 million unemployed, strikes after strikes and a UK recession created by her actions! Her privatisation of British Gas made bills higher, her de-regulation of the banks caused the 2008 crash. A huge rise inequality and a decline in manufacturing still felt today!

She could be nasty and vicious her party threw her out in 1990 due to this, she did not listen or compromise her views not a quality of a good leader.

She demonstrates perfectly the flaws of capitalism.

Churchill? Best? Absolutely not! Yes, I admire Churchill for uniting us and leading us to victory during WWII, But Lloyd George did the same in WWI. Baroness Thatcher, in my opinion, was a remarkable woman, a role model for young children. She shows little girls around the world that women can achieve exactly the same as men; that we're all equal under the eyes of God, who gives us equal opportunities. She ran our country well. I absolutely admire this legendary woman!

Without a doubt, the best Prime Minister in British History. Socialists will whine and howl about how she inflicted too much damage on the economy, but as someone who remembers the 70s and how Labour almost destroyed Britain and made us the Sick Man of Europe, I know those were drastic times that called for drastic measures. It was do or die, if anybody else had been in her shoes, Britain would have ceased to exist within a decade.

6 John Major

A Conservative from a modest background, won the 1992 election against the odds. From 1990- 1997 he lead a fairly united front reigning in the extremes of Thatcherism. He signed the EU Treaty, but found it difficult to lead a party of which many wanted to exit the EU. He also looked boring compared the charismatic Tony Blair, but major had more substance.

Laid the foundation for the Good Friday Agreement- he was not given sufficient credit for doing so- Tony Blair took too much of the credit. Left the British economy in best shape for many years.

7 David Lloyd George

Led the nation through the turbulent times of the Great War. He also acted as the level-headed mediator between the two extremes of the Allied powers in how Germany was to be treated after the war.

Radical modern thinker ahead of his time. Many character flaws but as a prime minister, He was fantastic in the First World War and was a radical chancellor

A great leader during World War I.

Helped defeat the kaiser

8 Harold Macmillan

"You've never had it so good" speech.
One of his innovations at the Treasury was the introduction of premium bond.

In 1928 Macmillan was described by his political hero, and now Parliamentary colleague, David Lloyd George, as a "born rebel".

9 David Cameron David William Donald Cameron is a British politician who is at present the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Leader of its Conservative Party, and Member of Parliament for the Oxfordshire constituency of Witney.

Since 2005 he has tried to modernise the Labour party to some avail under the Lib Dem coalition in 2010 as PM he increased tution fees, made big cuts to welfare and council services and re-organised the NHS. He cut tax for the rich too, the only progressive change was legalising Same-Sex Marriage. He copied the speeches and style on Tony Blair and won a majority in 2015, but his party looks increasingly split over the EU?
He will be gone by 2020 let's hope it's not Boris who replaces him before the election.
Vote Labour, unless your a millionaire!

Not a huge fan, but one look at the absolutely psychotic comments below signify the utterly vile types opposed to him. Was always the superior option to Millipede and Komerade Korbyn.

Amazing Prime minister, did more good than any other pm ever! Loved Mr Cameron shame he's not still In!

I thought he could've been a good leader.

10 Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, KG, PC was a British politician and writer, who twice served as Prime Minister.

Great PM. Believed in Conservative principles like strong defense, respecting tradition and different social classes. But at the same time cared about the working class and those less fortunate.

He strengthened the British Empire, helping to establish her as the most powerful nation in the world. He also brilliantly turned the Congress of Berlin to Britain's favour.

The Contenders
11 Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007. Brown was a Member of Parliament from 1983 to 2015, first for Dunfermline East and later for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath.

Very underrated. More talent than most.

Picks his nose

12 William Gladstone

Promoted private activity and small government. Grew the country's wealth so fast by nearly destroying taxes. People had so much money to spend and goods to choose from due to tariffs being cut and hammered down.

Who in their right mind would want to fight with their best customer. Also fostered peaceful relations with foreign countries.

The empire grew greatest during his reign, he helped the Irish situation, enfranchised a huge percentage of the population.

Social Welfare policies and Ireland. Should be # 1

13 Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd Marquess of Salisbury

"Whatever happens will be for the worse, and therefore it is in our interest that as little should happen as possible."

14 Alec Douglas-Home
15 William Lamb, 2nd Viscount of Melbourne

Should probably have resigned a bit earlier for the sake of Lord Durham in Canada, but overall, a good principled man.

16 Earl Grey

Initiated the abolition of slavery, the 1832 Reform Act and held together a very varied government. The most underrated British Prime Minister.

Great guy. Really. Definitely underrated

17 James Callaghan
18 William Pitt the Younger

Became MP at 24 years old. Restored national finances, Protected Britain from French invasion. Served for nearly 20 years.

19 William Grenville
20 Herbert Asquith
21 Robert Walpole
22 Frederick John Robinson
23 Anthony Eden
24 Theresa May Theresa Mary May, MP served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from July 2016 to July 2019, when Boris Johnson became PM. She has been a Member of Parliament for Maidenhead since 1997. May identifies as a one-nation conservative and has been characterised as a liberal conservative.

Why is everyone hating on Theresa?

Why don't you try running Brexit when every MP changes their mind every two seconds!

I do feel sorry for he she tried and tried, but FAILED!

She has brought us all together with brexit, she in an exceptionally good dancer and she puts every other prime minister including Churchill to shame. god bless you May

Only just begun as PM but I think she'll be great.

She put the NHS and social care in crisis, cut schools, failed to fight climate change, she should be on the top 3

25 Robert Peel

No brainer, really. Himself, Earl Grey and the Duke of Wellington were the most feared politicians during the late 1820s and the early 1830s during William IV's reign. This man was quiet, unassuming but unbelievably clever. He even ran his own party himself for a while since most of the ministers were against him after the repeal of the corn laws in 1846. But this iconic man changed the face for the conservative party ever since he introuced a police force that was soon to be widespread across the UK, and the fact that hed altered and set up many policies as home secretary during the late 1820s amd early 1840s as PM, that would've had proven vital in the future, and boy most of them did. He'd eat Major, Thatcher Cameron and May for breakfast! Sir Robert was the first British prime minister to be photographed, sometime in the late 1840's apparently, but its not yet displayed on the internet.

Father of the modern day police force. Should be in the top 5.

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