ABSTRACT
When Eden fell in January 1957, Butler (55) looked a likely candidate to be premier. He had held the fort when Eden was absent with as much efficiency as anyone, and he was well qualified in other respects. He had served under five Prime Ministers, having held office 1932-45 and from 1951 onwards. As Minister of Education he was credited with the Education Act, 1944 and more recently he had served as Chancellor (1951-55), and as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House. Within the Conservative Party he was too statesmanlike to arouse the activists. The widely used term 'Butskellism', used to draw attention to the similarities between his economic policies and those of Gaitskell, did him no good with the Right of Centre in his own party, nor did his doubts about Suez. With two Suez hardliners, Salisbury and Kilmuir, organizing the consultations, before Salisbury and Churchill advised the Queen on Eden's successor, Butler's fate was sealed.
