Prime Ministers and Personality

About the lecture

In this module Michael Barber answers the question: “In your experience, how important is the individual personality of a Prime Minister to the character of UK politics and the delivery of good government?”, focusing in particular on: (i) his experience working for Tony Blair in the Department of Education and in No. 10; (ii) the importance of the individual Prime Minister’s management style; (iii) the importance of good interpersonal relationships at the highest levels of UK politics.

About the lecturer

Sir Michael Barber is an expert in education and government reform. He has worked with governments under several UK Prime Ministers – from John Major to Boris Johnson – and was Blair’s Chief Adviser on Delivery from 2001-5, when he led the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit. His 2015 book ‘How to Run a Government’ draws directly on his experience advising governments around the world on how to deliver their policy objectives, and his latest book ‘Accomplishment - How to achieve ambitious and challenging things’ was published by Penguin in 2021.