Ministerial broadcast
In the United Kingdom, a Ministerial Broadcast is a televised address to the public, usually given by the incumbent Prime Minister or other senior Cabinet Minister in times of national crisis. The BBC and other public service broadcasters must give the government air time if the circumstances are seen to be of sufficient importance, and requests from opposition leaders must also be considered.
History
1950s
The first Ministerial Broadcast was made by Prime Minister Anthony Eden on 27 April 1956, and broadcast on the BBC. It came several months after Eden's Conservative Party won the 1955 general election, which was the first time an election had received significant coverage on television. The address was different to a Party Political Broadcast, as the opposition parties were not allocated air-time as well. This was acceptable for non-controversial topics – the broadcast in April addressed the visit of Soviet leaders Nikita Khrushchev and Nikolai Bulganin – but in October 1956 Eden made a second televised speech relating to the Suez Crisis, to which the Leader of the Opposition Hugh Gaitskell demanded a reply. The BBC's guidelines on Ministerial Broadcasts had been published in 1947, and stated that:
They should deal with facts, explain legislation approved by parliament, or appeal for public co-operation.
If the opposition disagreed in any way with the government's broadcast, they could ask permission to air a reply. In the case of the Suez Crisis, Eden refused to let Gaitskell give a reply, as he believed that the country should be united in times of conflict, and it would damage troops' morale if the government's efforts were put into question. The BBC Governors were then required to intervene, siding with Gaitskell, who was given permission to broadcast a reply. The Government were angry with the BBC's decision, and Eden threatened to cut the BBC's funding by £1 million, but after a protest from the Director-General of the BBC Ian Jacob and Chairman of the BBC Alexander Cadogan, the threat was eventually dropped.
Eden resigned as Prime Minister in January 1957 due to his poor handling of the Suez Crisis, and was succeeded by fellow Conservative Harold Macmillan. On 31 August 1959, Macmillan was joined by US President Dwight D. Eisenhower for a live television debate, the first of its kind. Eisenhower was on a tour of Europe, and discussed the need for global peace, as well as the Anglo-American relationship. There were initial concerns from Labour that the broadcast would affect their chances at the next general election, but these were withdrawn and the broadcast went ahead as planned.
1960s
After Labour defeated the Conservatives in the 1964 general election, the new Prime Minister Harold Wilson inherited a large deficit. Combined with a less-competitive economy, and a move away from using the pound as a reserve currency, the decision was taken in 1967 to reduce the exchange rate for the US dollar by 14% from $2.80 to $2.40 per pound. A statement was released on 18 November 1967 by Chancellor of the Exchequer James Callaghan explaining the reduction, as well as outlining a 2.5% rise in interest rates and cuts to the defence budget. The next day, Wilson made a televised broadcast to defend his decision, stating that:From now on, the pound abroad is worth 14% or so less in terms of other currencies. That doesn't mean, of course, that the pound here in Britain, in your pocket or purse or in your bank, has been devalued.Wilson was widely mocked for his statement, and met fierce opposition by parliamentarians, including members of his own cabinet, such as Callaghan, and his deputy George Brown.
Conservative leader Edward Heath later gave a reply, accusing the government of failing to safeguard the nation's money.
1970s
Heath subsequently won the 1970 general election, but by 1973 he was facing constant industrial action by coal miners over pay. This led to measures to ration electricity, including implementing a three-day week. He was unable to resolve the mineworkers' dispute, and announced his intent to call a general election in a televised broadcast on 7 February 1974, stating:This time the strife has got to stop. Only you can stop it. It is time for you to speak, with your vote.Heath encouraged the mineworkers to pause the strike for the three-week campaign period, but he was not able to persuade them and they continued the strike as planned. Harold Wilson was re-elected at the February election, and agreed a 'National Plan for Coal' to invest more in coalfields, stopping further industrial action.
Former Chancellor James Callaghan succeeded Wilson as Prime Minister in 1976, but lost the government's majority on his first day in office. Amid rising inflation and unemployment, Callaghan made a televised broadcast on 7 September 1978. It was widely expected that he would call an early general election, but in reality he chose to stay on for the full five-year term. He said that:
The government must and will continue to carry out policies that are consistent, determined, that don't chop or change and that brought about the present recovery in our fortunes.
His speech was strongly criticised by opposition leaders, with Liberal leader David Steel and Conservative leader Margaret Thatcher accusing Callaghan of "running scared".
Callaghan was eventually forced to
call an election on 28 March 1979, after he lost a vote of no confidence in the House of Commons by a margin of one vote. This came after a series of strikes and economic unrest dubbed the Winter of Discontent, which severely damaged the government's popularity. The next day, he made a second statement defending the government's record, and officially announcing the general election. Opposition leader Margaret Thatcher made a response on 2 April, ridiculing Callaghan's speech and encouraging the public to vote for her party at the election, which she went on to win.
1980s
Margaret Thatcher did not give any further Ministerial Broadcasts in her time as Prime Minister, even in times of national crisis such as the Falklands War. In 1987 she was encouraged to give a broadcast about the spread of HIV/AIDS by Health Secretary Norman Fowler, but refused on the grounds of "bad taste".1990s
On 17 January 1991, John Major gave a broadcast about the decision to send British troops to fight in the Gulf War as part of Operation Desert Storm.Major also gave a broadcast after signing the Downing Street Declaration on 15 December 1993, which affirmed the right of self-determination for the island of Ireland. In his statement, he said that Northern Ireland needed to:
Recent broadcasts
Iraq War
There have been three ministerial broadcasts since the turn of the century. After Labour's landslide victory in the 1997 general election, Tony Blair became Prime Minister. Blair made his first and only televised broadcast at 10.00pm on 20 March 2003. In his address, he announced that British troops had been sent to fight in the Iraq War:COVID-19 pandemic
The next broadcast was made 17 years later by Boris Johnson, on 23 March 2020. In his speech, Johnson announced a nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the public ordered to stay at home and only leave for essential purposes:His broadcast was shown at 8.30pm on BBC One, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky News and the BBC News Channel, as well as on streaming service Amazon Prime, and attained overnight viewing figures of over 27 million, making one of the most watched programmes in the history of British television.
Johnson made a second broadcast on 10 May 2020 to announce the easing of lockdown measures in England, but this was met by a chorus of disapprovals from the leaders of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
List of Prime Ministerial Broadcasts, Statements and Speeches
| Prime Minister | Date | Subject |
| Keir Starmer | 5 July 2024 | |
| Rishi Sunak | 5 July 2024 | |
| Rishi Sunak | 22 May 2024 | |
| Rishi Sunak | 1 March 2024 | |
| Rishi Sunak | 25 Oct. 2022 | |
| Liz Truss | 25 Oct. 2022 | |
| Liz Truss | 20 Oct. 2022 | |
| Liz Truss | 8 Sep. 2022 | |
| Liz Truss | 6 Sep. 2022 | |
| Boris Johnson | 6 Sep. 2022 | |
| Boris Johnson | 7 July 2022 | |
| Boris Johnson | 24 Feb. 2022 | |
| Boris Johnson | 12 Dec. 2021 | |
| Boris Johnson | 9 April 2021 | |
| Boris Johnson | 4 Jan. 2021 | |
| Boris Johnson | 22 Sep. 2020 | |
| Boris Johnson | 10 May 2020 | |
| Boris Johnson | 27 April 2020 | |
| Boris Johnson | 23 March 2020 | |
| Boris Johnson | 31 Jan. 2020 | |
| Boris Johnson | 13 Dec. 2019 | |
| Boris Johnson | 6 Nov. 2019 | |
| Boris Johnson | 2 Sep. 2019 | |
| Boris Johnson | 24 July 2019 | |
| Theresa May | 24 July 2019 | |
| Theresa May | 24 May 2019 | |
| Theresa May | 2 April 2019 | |
| Theresa May | 20 March 2019 | |
| Theresa May | 16 Jan. 2019 | |
| Theresa May | 12 Dec. 2018 | |
| Theresa May | 11 Dec. 2018 | |
| Theresa May | 14 Nov. 2018 | |
| Theresa May | 21 Sep. 2018 | |
| Theresa May | 14 April 2018 | |
| Theresa May | 19 June 2017 | |
| Theresa May | 9 June 2017 | |
| Theresa May | 4 June 2017 | |
| Theresa May | 24 May 2017 | |
| Theresa May | 23 May 2017 | |
| Theresa May | 18 April 2017 | |
| Theresa May | 22 March 2017 | |
| Theresa May | 13 July 2016 | |
| David Cameron | 13 July 2016 | |
| David Cameron | 24 June 2016 | |
| David Cameron | 20 Feb. 2016 | |
| David Cameron | 14 Nov. 2015 | |
| David Cameron | 13 Nov. 2015 | |
| David Cameron | 8 May 2015 | |
| David Cameron | 19 Sep. 2014 | |
| David Cameron | 6 Dec. 2013 | |
| David Cameron | 29 May 2013 | |
| David Cameron | 8 April 2013 | |
| David Cameron | 22 August 2011 | |
| David Cameron | 9 August 2011 | |
| David Cameron | 11 May 2010 | |
| Gordon Brown | 11 May 2010 | |
| Gordon Brown | 7 May 2010 | |
| Gordon Brown | 27 June 2007 | |
| Tony Blair | 7 July 2005 | |
| Tony Blair | 20 March 2003 | |
| Tony Blair | 7 Oct. 2001 | |
| Tony Blair | 11 Sep. 2001 | |
| Tony Blair | 26 March 1999 | |
| Tony Blair | 16 Dec. 1998 | |
| Tony Blair | 2 May 1997 | |
| John Major | 2 May 1997 | |
| John Major | 29 April 1997 | |
| John Major | 25 April 1997 | |
| John Major | 12 Feb. 1996 | |
| John Major | 17 Jan. 1991 | |
| Margaret Thatcher | 8 June 1983 | |
| James Callaghan | 29 March 1979 | |
| James Callaghan | 7 Sep. 1978 | On the Winter of Discontent |
| Harold Wilson | 14 Oct. 1974 | On the Labour Party manifesto |
| Edward Heath | 7 Feb. 1974 | |
| Edward Heath | 13 Dec. 1973 | On the three-day week |
| Edward Heath | 31 Dec. 1972 | On the entering of the UK into the European Common Market |
| Edward Heath | 27 Feb. 1972 | On Inflation and the Miners strike |
| Harold Wilson | 19 Nov. 1967 | |
| Harold Wilson | 14 Feb. 1967 | On the war in Vietnam |
| Harold Wilson | 6 Dec. 1966 | On the situation in Rhodesia |
| Alec Douglas-Home | 22 Nov. 1963 | |
| Alec Douglas-Home | 19 Oct. 1963 | |
| Harold Macmillan | 10 Jan. 1957 | |
| Anthony Eden | 31 Oct. 1956 | |
| Anthony Eden | 27 April 1956 | |
| Winston Churchill | 7 Feb. 1952 | |
| Clement Attlee | 28 July 1948 | |
| Clement Attlee | 4 July 1948 | |
| Clement Attlee | 15 August 1945 | |
| Winston Churchill | 13 May 1945 | |
| Winston Churchill | 8 May 1945 | |
| Winston Churchill | 26 March 1944 | Report on the war |
| Winston Churchill | 31 August 1943 | |
| Winston Churchill | 14 May 1943 | |
| Winston Churchill | 21 March 1943 | |
| Winston Churchill | 29 Nov. 1942 | |
| Winston Churchill | 10 May 1942 | |
| Winston Churchill | 15 Feb. 1942 | |
| Winston Churchill | 8 Dec. 1941 | |
| Winston Churchill | 24 August 1941 | |
| Winston Churchill | 22 June 1941 | |
| Winston Churchill | 27 April 1941 | |
| Winston Churchill | 9 Feb. 1941 | |
| Winston Churchill | 23 Dec. 1940 | Message to the people of Italy |
| Winston Churchill | 21 Oct. 1940 | |
| Winston Churchill | 11 Sep. 1940 | |
| Winston Churchill | 14 July 1940 | |
| Winston Churchill | 19 May 1940 | |
| Neville Chamberlain | 10 May 1940 | |
| Neville Chamberlain | 26 Nov. 1939 | |
| Neville Chamberlain | 3 Sep. 1939 | |
| Neville Chamberlain | 27 Sep. 1938 |