IN his list of MPs who changed their political affiliation David Brinson omits the most famous and important MP of all, Winston Churchill.
In fact Churchill displayed a chameleon like ability to change the colour of his politics. He first became a Conservative MP in 1901 but "crossed the floor" in 1904 to the Liberals in which party he remained till 1915 when he resigned as First Lord of the Admiralty and MP as a result of the Dardanelles fiasco. After a brief service in the trenches he returned as an "Independent" MP to be made Minister of Munitions by the Liberal Prime Minister, Lloyd George. Having lost his parliamentary seat in 1922 he returned to parliament in 1924 under the label of "Constitutionalist" MP when he was then made Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Conservative government. Subsequently he rejoined the Conservative party. Has any other MP played the political field as much if not more?
Don B Clarke
Sunstart Lane
Polegate
