Mandelson: A Homosexual History - Episode Three

Mandelson: A Homosexual History - Episode Three

From Bad Gays by Huw Lemmey & Ben Miller

May 13, 2026 · 1h 9m · Season 10 · Episode 138

About this episode

The episode discusses the 1992 UK election and the emergence of New Labour, focusing on key figures and cultural moments of the time.

This week, on Mandelson: A Homosexual History, we cover the 1992 UK election and the birth of New Labour. Subscribe on Patreon to support our work and stay a week ahead on this miniseries! If Huw's Margaret Thatcher wasn't enough to turn your stomach, try his John Major on for size. Neil Kinnock loses the 1992 election. John Smith becomes leader of the Labour Party, flanked by two feuding up-and-coming reformers named Gordon Brown and Tony Blair. Peter Mandelson buys a lovely home in Notting Hill with questionable financing, and sets himself to defeating Clause IV once and for all. The exciting but fundamentally reactionary Cool Britannia cultural moment helps us understand how tentative New Labour were about rocking the cultural boat. Their victory in 1997 was more about stasis than change.

People in this episode

Hosts: Huw Lemmey, Ben Miller

Topics covered

  • 1992 UK election
  • New Labour
  • political history
  • Peter Mandelson
  • Cool Britannia
  • Labour Party leadership

Keywords

  • Mandelson
  • New Labour
  • 1992 election
  • politics
  • UK history
  • Gordon Brown
  • Tony Blair
  • Cool Britannia

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Labour Party

Places: Notting Hill

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