ABSTRACT
Malcolm Rifkind was the last Conservative incumbent to hold the post of Foreign Secretary before the party’s electoral defeat at the hands of New Labour in May 1997. Rifkind was appointed to the FCO on 6 July 1995 in an extraordinary Cabinet reshuffle staged by John Major after the Prime Minister had successfully placed his leadership of the Conservative Party on the line against a Eurosceptic challenger, John Redwood. Malcolm Rifkind’s stewardship, therefore, should be seen primarily in the context of domestic politics. With the issue of Europe eviscerating John Major’s leadership of his party – and government – the positioning of the Foreign Secretary within this dynamic is arguably the most interesting question that arose during his two years in the job. As Foreign Secretary, Malcolm Rifkind was in situ at a time when the domesticand foreign-policy influences were equally potent. Rifkind’s case, therefore, can provide insights about the effects of weakness in domestic politics on the Foreign Secretary.
