The History Podcast - Invisible Hands

In this episode of David Dimbleby’s History Podcast, Lord Willetts reflects on a pivotal period in British political history: the emergence of free market ideology and the rise of the New Right in the 1970s. The conversation explores the intellectual journey of Sir Keith Joseph, a key figure whose controversial speeches and bold ideas laid the groundwork for a political transformation. From his early conservatism to becoming a driving force behind Margaret Thatcher’s economic agenda, Sir Keith's radical advocacy for free markets stirred fierce opposition and lasting change – bringing free market thinking from the political fringe to the heart of British governance.

Lord Willetts, who worked closely with Sir Keith and later served in Margaret Thatcher’s policy unit and at the Centre for Policy Studies, offers an insider’s perspective [or just “insight”?] into the evolution of these ideas and the people behind them, including figures like Nigel Lawson, and their legacy today.