Prime Ministers Who Faced Difficult Christmas Days in History
Several British Prime Ministers have experienced notably difficult Christmas periods throughout history. Lord North, who served as Prime Minister from 1770 to 1782, faced a miserable Christmas in 1781 following the defeat at Yorktown in late November; he left office within weeks after admitting defeat in February 1782.
Viscount Goderich, Prime Minister from December 1827 to January 1828, was unsettled during December 1827 due to his wife's mental health crisis. He resigned in January 1828 after just 144 days in office.
Stanley Baldwin, who had multiple terms as Prime Minister, called an early general election in December 1923. He lost his majority and resigned in January 1924.
Winston Churchill, serving as Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955, had a troubling Christmas in December 1941, including an incident involving Franklin D. Roosevelt. He also reportedly suffered a series of heart problems over Christmas.
Anthony Eden, Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957, lied to Parliament on 20 December 1956 regarding the Suez Crisis and was feverish over the Christmas period. He resigned on 9 January 1957.
Gordon Brown, Prime Minister from 2007 to 2010, experienced a challenging Christmas in 2008. He was involved in efforts to stabilise the financial system and maintain his parliamentary majority. A Boxing Day Daily Mail headline suggested a plot to oust him, which Brown described as a rocky time.
