School of Politics and International Studies

Research Interests

My research interests are in British party politics and political leadership, with recent publications being focused around leadership selection, opposition leadership and coalition leadership. I am the Treasurer for the Political Studies Association Specialist Group in Political Leadership.

Teaching

I am module leader for the following modules:

• PIED1000 British Politics
• PIED2123 The Conservative Party from Churchill to Cameron
• PIED2128 The Labour Party from Attlee to Brown

I also teach on the MA module PIED5112: Thatcherism and New Labour

PhD Supervision

I currently contribute to supervisory research teams working with students on the statecraft of the Heath government; the Prime Ministerial leadership of John Major; and the comparative party modernisations of Labour under Blair and the Conservatives under Cameron. I have previously been involved in PhDs on Conservative leadership selection and the Labour Party leadership of Michael Foot.

As such I would welcome research proposals on projects relating to political parties and party political leadership.

Key Publications

Books

• Heppell, T. (ed.), (2012) Leaders of the Opposition: From Churchill to Cameron (Basingstoke: Palgrave).
• Heppell, T. and Seawright, D. (eds.), (2012) Cameron and the Conservatives: The Transition to Coalition Government (Basingstoke: Palgrave).
• Heppell, T. (2010) Choosing the Labour Leader: Labour Party Leadership Elections from Wilson to Brown (London: I. B. Tauris)
• Heppell, T. (2008) Choosing the Tory Leader: Conservative Party Leadership Elections from Heath to Cameron (London: I. B. Tauris)

Guest Edited Special Issue

• McCargo, D. and Heppell, T. (2011) Toxic Political Leadership, Special Issue of Representation, Vol. 47, No. 2, pp. 241-342.

Chapters in Books

• Heppell, T. (2011), ‘New Labour, Social Justice and Electoral Strategy’, in Bryson, V. and Fisher, P. (eds.), Redefining Social Justice: New Labour Rhetoric and Reality (Manchester: Manchester University Press).  
• Honeyman, V. and Heppell, T. (2012), ‘Clement Attlee 1951-1955’, in Heppell, T. (ed.), Leaders of the Opposition: From Churchill to Cameron (Basingstoke: Palgrave).
• Heppell, T. (2012), ‘Hugh Gaitskell 1955-1963’, in Heppell, T. (ed.), Leaders of the Opposition: From Churchill to Cameron (Basingstoke: Palgrave).
• Heppell, T. and Hill, M. (2012), ‘Labour in Opposition’, in Heppell, T. and Seawright, D. (eds.) Cameron and the Conservatives: The Transition to Coalition Government (Basingstoke: Palgrave).
• Heppell, T. (2012), ‘The Fall of the Brown Government 2010’, in Heppell, T. and Theakston, K. (eds.), How Labour Governments Fall: From Ramsey MacDonald to Gordon Brown (Basingstoke: Palgrave).

Journal Articles

• Heppell, T. and Lightfoot, S. (2012), “‘We will not balance the books on the backs of the poorest people in the world” Understanding Conservative Party Strategy on International Aid’, Political Quarterly, Vol. 83, No. 1, pp. 130-138. 
• Heppell, T. (2011), ‘New Labour and Departmental Restructuring’ Political Quarterly, Vol. 82, No. 4, pp. 425-434.
• Heppell, T. (2011), ‘Toxic Leadership: Applying the Lipman-Blumen Model to Political Leadership’ Representation, Vol. 47, No 2, pp. 241-250.
• Heppell, T. and Crines, A. (2011), ‘How and why did Michael Foot win the 1980 Labour Party Leadership Election’, Political Quarterly, Vol. 82 No. 1, pp. 81-94. 
• Heppell, T. (2010), ‘The Labour Party Leadership Election of 1963: Explaining the Unexpected Election of Harold Wilson’, Contemporary British History, Vol. 24, No 2, pp. 151-171.

Media Contact Areas

I am happy to be contacted regarding the following areas.

• British political parties
• Party political leadership