by Tom Black
Secretary of State for Defence Airey Neave (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Education and Science Norman St John-Stevas (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Employment James Prior (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Energy Patrick Jenkin (Conservative)
Secretary of State for the Environment Timothy Raison (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Health and Social Services Norman Fowler (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection Sally Oppenheim-Barnes (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry Michael Heseltine (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Scotland Alick Buchanan-Smith (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Wales John Pardoe (Liberal)
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland George Younger (Conservative)
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Francis Pym (Conservative)
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Jo Grimond (Liberal)
Minister for Planning and Local Government John Biffen (Conservative)
Also attending Cabinet
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Chief Whip in the House of Commons Humphrey Atkins (Conservative)
Paymaster-General Angus Maude (Conservative)
Attorney General Sir Geoffrey Howe (Conservative)
Minister for Overseas Development Michael Jopling (Conservative)
‘The Emergency Government’
First cabinet of The Earl Mountbatten of Burma, 8th November 1975 – 3rd May 1976
First Lord of the Treasury The Earl Mountbatten of Burma (Independent)
Lord Chancellor The Lord Hailsham of St Marylebone (Conservative)
Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords The Earl St Aldwyn (Conservative)
Lord President of the Council and Minister of State for Constitutional Reform: Jeremy Thorpe (Liberal)
Chancellor of the Exchequer and First Secretary of State William Whitelaw (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs The Lord Home of the Hirsel (Conservative)
Secretary of State for the Home Department and Leader of the House of Commons Edward Heath (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Information and National Security Ian Gilmour (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Defence Francis Pym (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Education Norman St John-Stevas (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Employment Sir Geoffrey Howe (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Energy Reginald Prentice (British Labour Party)
Secretary of State for the Environment Timothy Raison (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Health and Social Services Reginald Maudling (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Industry James Prior (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection Russell Johnston (Liberal)
Secretary of State for Trade Robert Carr (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Scotland Alick Buchanan-Smith (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Wales John Pardoe (Liberal)
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland George Younger (Conservative)
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Maurice Macmillan (Conservative)
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Michael Jopling (Conservative)
Minister for Planning and Local Government Peter Walker (Conservative)
Also attending Cabinet
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Chief Whip in the House of Commons Humphrey Atkins (Conservative)
Paymaster-General David Knox (Conservative)
Attorney General Sir Ian Percival (Conservative)
Minister for Overseas Development Sally Oppenheim-Barnes (Conservative)
‘The National Government’
Second cabinet of The Earl Mountbatten of Burma, 3rd May 1976 – 26th January 1977
First Lord of the Treasury The Earl Mountbatten of Burma (Independent)
Chancellor of the Exchequer and First Secretary of State Edward Heath (Conservative)
Lord Chancellor The Lord Hailsham of St Marylebone (Conservative)
Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords The Earl St Aldwyn (Conservative)
Lord President of the Council and Minister of State for Constitutional Reform Jeremy Thorpe (Liberal)
Leader of the House of Commons and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Maurice Macmillan (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Reginald Maudling (Conservative)
Secretary of State for the Home Department William Whitelaw (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Information Patrick Jenkin (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Defence The Lord Carrington (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Education Norman St John-Stevas (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Employment and Industrial Relations Ian Gilmour (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Energy and Power Reginald Prentice (British Labour Party)
Secretary of State for Public Works and Transport Geoffrey Howe (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Health Robert Carr (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Science, Technology and Communications Michael Heseltine (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Pensions and Social Security John Davies (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Prices and Inflation Peter Walker (Conservative)
Secretary of State for International Trade and Industry James Prior (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Scotland Alick Buchanan-Smith (Conservative)
Secretary of State for Wales Emlyn Hooson (Liberal)
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Francis Pym (Conservative)
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food David Knox (Conservative)
Chief Secretary to the Treasury John Pardoe (Liberal)
Also attending Cabinet
Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Chief Whip in the House of Commons Anthony Berry (Conservative)
Paymaster-General Peter Tapsell (Conservative)
Attorney General Sir Ian Percival (Conservative)
Minister for Overseas Development Sally Oppenheim-Barnes (Conservative)
Appendix B: British party leaders, 1963-1977
Leaders of the Labour Party
1955-1963: Hugh Gaitskell †
1963-1975: Harold Wilson
1975: Edward Short*
1975-1976: Roy Jenkins
1976: Tony Benn*
1976-?: Barbara Castle
* Acting
Leaders of the Conservative Party
1957-1963: Harold Macmillan
1963-1965: Sir Alec Douglas-Home
1964-1975: Edward Heath
1975: Margaret Thatcher
1975-1976: William Whitelaw
1976-?: Edward Heath
Leaders of the Liberal Party
1956-1967: Jo Grimond
1967-?: Jeremy Thorpe
Leaders of the Reform Party
1976-?: Roy Jenkins
Leaders of the Continuity Liberal Party
1976-?: David Penhaligon
Leaders of the British Labour Party
1975-?: Reginald Prentice
Leaders of the Independent Socialist Party
1975-1976*: Eric Heffer
* Party dissolved.
Leaders of the Ulster Unionist Party
1946-1963: Basil Brooke, Viscount Brookeborough
1963-1969: Terence O’Neill
1969-1971: James Chichester-Clark
1971-1974: Brian Faulkner
1974-1976: Harry West*
* Party de facto dissolved.
Leaders of the Unionist Party
1976-?: Enoch Powell
Leaders of the New Ulster Unionist Party
1976-?: Harry West
Appendix C: World leaders
, 1964-1977
Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
1964-1970: Harold Wilson (Labour)
1970-1974: Edward Heath (Conservative)
1974-1975: Harold Wilson (Labour)
1975: Margaret Thatcher (Conservative)
1975-1977: The Earl Mountbatten of Burma* (Independent)
* As ‘First Lord of the Treasury’
Presidents of the United States of America
1963-1969: Lyndon B. Johnson (Democratic)
1969-1974: Richard Nixon (Republican)
1974-?: Gerald Ford (Republican)
General/First Secretaries of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
1926-1953: Joseph Stalin (Communist)
1953-1964: Nikita Khrushchev (Communist)
1964-1975: Leonid Brezhnev (Communist)
1975-?: Yuri Andropov (Communist)
Appendix D: The House of Commons
Composition of the House of Commons, November 1975
Size of the House: 635
Labour Government
Prime Minister: Harold Wilson
Labour: 318
Conservative: 277
Liberal: 13
SNP: 11
UUP: 6
Plaid Cymru: 3
Vanguard: 3
SDLP: 1
DUP: 1
Ind. Republican: 1
Speaker (Selwyn Lloyd): 1
Government Majority: 1
Composition of the House of Commons, 26th January 1977, prior to the general election
Size of the House: 635
National Government
First Lord of the Treasury: Earl Mountbatten of Burma (Independent)
Conservative and Unionist: 255
Liberal [Thorpe]: 9
British Labour Party: 13
Labour: 211
Reform: 91
Unionist Party [Powell]: 26
SNP: 11
Continuity Liberal [Penhaligon]: 3
New Ulster Unionist Party [West]: 2
Independent Ulster Unionist: 1
Plaid Cymru: 3
Vanguard: 3
SDLP: 1
DUP: 1
Ind. Republican: 1
Vacant Seats: 1
Speaker (Jo Grimond): 1
Labour lost four by-elections during the Parliament, all to the Conservative Party, these were Woolwich West, Thurrock, Rotherham and Walsall North. The Mountbatten-led National government’s majority collapsed shortly before the election was called, when 22 Conservative MPs defected to Mr Powell’s Unionist Party. Mountbatten was able to continue governing thanks to Unionist abstentions, on the understanding that an election would be called in January.
Appendix E: The House of Commons prior to the 1977 general election
From The Times, 26th January 1977
Despite the chaos of the last sixteen months, the 1977 general election campaign began in the traditional manner, with the leader of the government travelling to Buckingham Palace for an audience with Her Majesty The Queen. The diagram above shows the state of the parties at the time of today’s dissolution of Parliament, with their present number of seats and their leaders pictured.
Labour – 211
Mrs Castle has proven to be a tenacious and driven Leader of the Labour Party and of the Opposition. However, her role is not an enviable one. Although officially aiming for government, the real aim will be to try and preserve Labour's undisputed position as Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition in the new House of Commons.
Reform – 91
Mr Jenkins has hit the ground at a great pace, with a radical manifesto and support from many in the media. He will be hoping to at least supplant Labour as the main voice of the centre-left in the United Kingdom.
Conservative – 255
Since returning as Conservative Leader last summer, the Chancellor, Mr Edward Heath, has worked hard to re-establish his authority over the backbenchers that removed him shortly before the Wilson Crisis. As Prime Minister-designate in the event of the National Government being returned at the election, Mr Heath will wish to continue the present economic and political programme and efforts at reforming the power of the trades unions.
Liberal – 9
Mr Thorpe’s Liberal Party have suffered at the polls since the defection of Mr Penhaligon and much of the activist machinery. The appointment of Jo Grimond as Speaker of the House of Commons has – however – somewhat bolstered their credentials amongst the general public.
British Labour – 13
Despite rumours of a concord with Mr Jenkins, Mr Prentice’s defectors reaffirmed their support for the National Government early in the New Year. They are said to be anticipating a difficult campaign.
Unionist – 26
Mr Enoch Powell will be hoping to at least be Kingmaker in the new Parliament, holding his 3 MPs in Northern Ireland and adding to the twenty-two defectors he has gained from the Conservative Party.
Others – 26
The Scottish and Welsh nationalists are hoping to capitalise on the dented reputation of the United Kingdom, though polling data suggests they hope in vain. Mr Penhaligon’s newcomers, the Continuity Liberals, are expected to do well among university students unhappy with the main parties. In Northern Ireland, it is unclear whether Mr West’s New Ulster Unionist Party will maintain a Commons presence, or lose its two seats to other unionist parties including Mr Powell’s.
The World of Agent Lavender
The World of Agent Lavender will be published by Sea Lion Press. It is not a sequel to Agent Lavender, but a scrapbook featuring articles, clippings and cultural works from the world created by the events of this book. The state of the House of Commons as the 1977 general election is called, detailed in the appendices above, is an example of the kind of world-building content that the new book will contain.
Extracts will include:
In Place of Chaos: A Retrospective on the Mountbatten Trade Union Reforms by Dr E.S. Miliband
Resistance: Youth politics after Mountbatten by Peter Mandelson
Back from the Brink: Diaries 1978-1985 by Tony Benn MP
Grumble in the Jungle: How I fought communists in the Congo and lived to tell the tale by Iain Duncan Smith
Fear and Loathing in New Hampshire by Hunter S. Thompson
And much more. Sign up to Sea Lion Press’ mailing list at sealionpress.co.uk/contact to be informed the moment The World of Agent Lavender is published.
Sea Lion Press
Sea Lion Press is the world’s first online publishing house dedicated to alternate history. To find out more, and to see our full catalogue, visit sealionpress.co.uk.
Sign up for our mailing list at sealionpress.co.uk/contact to be informed of all future releases.
Table of Contents
PART ONE The Flight of Harold Wilson
Chapter oneWednesday 29th October 1975 – 1:00am
Chapter twoSaturday 1st November 1975 – 2:00am
Chapter threeSaturday 1st November 1975 – 5:15am
Chapter fourSaturday 1st November 1975 – 6:45am
Chapter fiveSaturday 1st November 1975 – 7:45am
Chapter sixSaturday 1st November 1975 – 9:20am
Chapter sevenSaturday 1st November 1975 – 5:45pm
Chapter eightSaturday 1st November 1975 – 6:45pm
PART TWO The Hunt for Harold Wilson One week later
Chapter nineSaturday 8th November 1975 – Noon
Chapter tenMonday 10th November 1975 – 10:30am
Chapter elevenMonday 10th November 1975 – 7:00pm
Chapter twelveMonday 10th November 1975 – 7:30pm
Chapter thirteenWednesday 12th November 1975 – 11:20pm (Moscow Standard Time)
Chapter fourteenThursday 13th November 1975 – 12:15pm
Chapter fifteenThursday 13th November 1975 – 10:00pm
Chapter sixteenSaturday 15th November 1975 – 6:30am
Chapter seventeenSaturday 15th Novemb
er 1975 – 5:20pm
Chapter eighteenSunday 16th November 1975 – Midnight
Chapter nineteenSunday 16th November 1975 – 11:00am
PART THREE Life after Harold Wilson Two months later
Chapter twentyThursday 22nd January 1976 – 7:00am
Chapter twenty-oneThursday 22nd January 1976 – 8:30am
Chapter twenty-twoSaturday 20th March 1976 – 8:30am
Chapter twenty-threeTuesday 6th April 1976 – 2:35pm
Chapter twenty-fourTuesday 26th July 1976 – 5:15pm (Eastern Standard Time)
Chapter twenty-fiveTuesday 26th September 1976 – 10:00pm (Moscow Standard Time)
Chapter twenty-sixTuesday 26th September 1976 – 11:00pm
Chapter twenty-sevenTuesday 26th September 1976 – 9:30pm
Chapter twenty-eightMonday 4th October 1976 – 7:45am
PART FOUR The Trials of Harold Wilson One month later
Chapter twenty-nineMonday 1st November 1976 – 9:30am
Chapter thirtyMonday 1st November 1976 – 9:30pm
Chapter thirty-one Friday 24th December 1976 – 10:30pm
Chapter thirty-twoSaturday 10th January 1977 – 9:30am
Chapter thirty-threeSaturday 10th January 1977 – 11:55am (Eastern Standard Time)
