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Harold Wilson Is Britain’s New Prime Minister

Oct. 16, 1964 - Harold Wilson became Britain’s Prime Minister today. He immediately made it known that the new Labor Government felt it had a complete mandate despite the slender majority it won in yesterday’s election.

When the last vote is counted tomorrow from Argyll in Scotland, a safe Conservative constituency, Labor’s majority will be only four seats in the 630-seat House of Commons. The standing of the parties tonight, with only the Argyll result still to come, was:

Labor — 317

Conservative — 303

Liberal — 9

After a swift and smooth transition of the Prime Ministership from Sir Alec Douglas-Home, the Conservative leader, to Mr. Wilson, the Labor leader moved quickly to squelch talk that his Government would be paralyzed by its razor-thin victory.

In a brief television address to the nation, Mr. Wilson said the electorate had given Labor a mandate for “many changes” over all of government.

“We intend to fulfill that mandate, and we are concerned to insure that there should be a true partnership between the Government and the people,” he said. “Nothing could be worse than failing both home and abroad because of the Parliamentary balance of power.”

The final drama of 13 years of Conservative administration took just 16 minutes after an agonizing night and morning of waiting until Labor’s certain seats insured a Labor majority no matter what happened.

It was then that Sir Alec, who refused to concede earlier, went to Buckingham Palace to submit his resignation to Queen Elizabeth II. He had been Prime Minister for one year less two days. He told newsmen: “I enjoyed being Prime Minister. But one must take the rough with the smooth. Win well at time, and lose well at others.”

Shortly thereafter, accompanied by his 81-year-old father, Herbert; his wife, Mary, their two sons and his sister, Mr. Wilson went to the palace. He was with the Queen for 22 minutes and emerged as Prime Minister.



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