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How clever was England’s first Prime Minster? Julian Hoppit is a historian with views about William Walpole’s clever leadership… That is, Walpole knew he had to work with the House of Commons. He had to get MPs to trust him, to feel consulted, to persuade them of his point of view. So, he stayed in the Commons himself. He did not become a Lord. That is, Walpole was often in the Commons and he took time to explain his ideas to them. He was good at judging the mood of MPs and what would be acceptable to them and how much they could be persuaded. He was also good at bribing MPs. That is, he knew what the voters wanted. The rich, land-owning men who could vote wanted low taxes. They did not want government to cost too much so that they could be free to make money. Walpole also avoided religious arguments. Read this and decide six words to describe Walpole and his actions…
