Initially an uncertain Conservative, Harold Macmillan
entered Parliament in 1924 as MP for Stockton-on-Tees.
During the 1930s he opposed appeasement and held
office under Churchill in World War II. He later held a
succession of cabinet posts during the 1950s, succeeding
Anthony Eden as Prime Minister in 1957. His premiership
was marked by prosperity in the country - and he is best
remembered for his speech during the 1959 General Election
asserting 'you've never had it so good'. He also actively supported independence for Britain's African colonial states. He was forced to resign from office in 1963 through ill health.
A leading proponent of 'One-Nation' Conservatism, Macmillan was in later years a stern critic of the radical right-wing of the party, then in the ascendancy under Margaret Thatcher.
