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{{James Callaghan sidebar}}
'''Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|KG|PC}} ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|æ|l|ə|h|æ|n|audio=James-Callaghan-English-pronunciation.ogg}} {{respell|KAL|ə|han}}; 27 March 1912{{spaced ndash}}26 March 2005), commonly known as '''Jim Callaghan''', was a British statesman<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/james-callaghan | title=James Callaghan }}</ref> and [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] politician who was [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom]] from 1976 to 1979 and [[Leader of the Labour Party (UK)|Leader of the Labour Party]] from 1976 to 1980. Callaghan is the only person to have held all four [[Great Offices of State]], having also served as [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]] from 1964 to 1967, [[Home Secretary]] from 1967 to 1970 and [[Foreign Secretary]] from 1974 to 1976. He was a [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) from 1945 to 1987.
Born into a working-class family in [[Portsmouth]], Callaghan left school early and began his career as a tax inspector, before becoming a trade union official in the 1930s. He served as a [[Lieutenant (navy)|lieutenant]] in the [[Royal Navy]] during the Second World War. He was elected to [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]] at the [[1945 United Kingdom general election|1945 election]], and was regarded as being on the left wing of the Labour Party. He was appointed to the [[Attlee government]] as a [[parliamentary secretary]] in 1947, and began to move increasingly towards the right wing of the Labour Party, while maintaining his reputation as a "Keeper of the Cloth Cap"{{spaced ndash}}that is, seen as maintaining close ties between Labour and the trade unions. Following Labour's defeat at the [[1951 United Kingdom general election|1951 election]], Callaghan increasingly became regarded as a leader of the right wing of the Labour Party, and stood for the positions of deputy leader in [[1960 Labour Party deputy leadership election|1960]] and for leader in [[1963 Labour Party leadership election (UK)|1963]], but was defeated by [[George Brown, Baron George-Brown|George Brown]] for the former and [[Harold Wilson]] for the latter.
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==Parliament and Cabinet==
===Attlee government, 1945–1951===
[[File:James Callaghan by Elliott & Fry (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Callaghan in 1947]]
The Labour Party won the overdue general election in a landslide victory on 26 July 1945, bringing [[Clement Attlee]] to power, in charge of the first-ever majority Labour government. Callaghan won his [[Cardiff South (UK Parliament constituency)|Cardiff South]] seat at the [[1945 UK general election]] (and would hold a Cardiff-area seat continuously until his retirement in 1987). He defeated the sitting [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] MP, [[Arthur Evans (politician)|Sir Arthur Evans]], by 17,489 votes to 11,545. He campaigned on such issues as the rapid demobilisation of the armed forces and for a new housing construction programme.{{sfn|Conroy|2006|p=13}} He stood on the left wing of the Party, and was a vocal critic of the United States in 1945, joining 22 other rebels in voting against accepting the [[Anglo-American loan]].<ref>Andrew Davies, '' To Build A New Jerusalem: Labour Movement from the 1890s to the 1990s'' (1992), pp. 232–33.</ref> Callaghan did not join the [[Keep Left (pamphlet)|Keep Left]] group of left-wing Labour MPs, but he did sign a letter in 1947 with 20 other MPs from the group calling for a 'socialist foreign policy' which would create an alternative to the
He moved to be [[Parliamentary and Financial Secretary to the Admiralty]] from February 1950, where he was a delegate to the [[Council of Europe]], where he supported plans for economic co-operation but resisted plans for a European army. When the [[Korean War]] broke out in 1950, Callaghan was given responsibility for deciding how the money allocated to the [[Royal Navy]] for rearmament was spent.{{sfn|Conroy|2006|pp=14-25}}
Callaghan was popular with Labour MPs, and was elected to the Shadow Cabinet every year while the Labour Party was in opposition from 1951 to 1964. He was now a staunch [[Gaitskellite]] on the Labour right wing. He was Parliamentary Adviser to the [[Police Federation of England and Wales|Police Federation]] from 1955 to 1960 when he negotiated an increase in police pay with then-General Secretary [[Arthur Charles Evans]]. He ran for the Deputy Leadership of the party in 1960 as an opponent of unilateral nuclear disarmament, and despite the other candidate of the Labour right ([[George Brown, Baron George-Brown|George Brown]]) agreeing with him on this policy, he forced Brown to a second vote. In November 1961, Callaghan became Shadow Chancellor. When [[Hugh Gaitskell]] died in January 1963, Callaghan ran to succeed him, but came third in the leadership contest, which was won by [[Harold Wilson]]. However, he did gain the support of right-wingers, such as [[Denis Healey]] and [[Anthony Crosland]], who wanted to prevent Wilson from being elected leader but who also did not trust George Brown.▼
===In opposition, 1951–1964===
===Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1964–1967===▼
▲After Labour lost power in the [[1951 United Kingdom general election|1951 general election]], Callaghan, who was popular with Labour MPs,
===Wilson government. 1964–1970===
▲====Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1964–1967====
In October 1964, [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] Prime Minister [[Sir Alec Douglas-Home]] (who had only been in power for twelve months since the resignation of [[Harold Macmillan]]) was forced to call a [[1964 United Kingdom general election|general election]], the parliament being about to expire. Labour won a narrow majority, gaining 56 seats for a total of 317 to the Conservatives' 304. The new Labour government under [[Harold Wilson]] immediately faced economic problems; Wilson acted within his first hours to appoint Callaghan as the new [[chancellor of the Exchequer]]. The previous chancellor, [[Reginald Maudling]], had initiated fiscally expansionary measures which had helped create a pre-election economic boom; by greatly increasing domestic demand this had caused imports to grow much faster than exports, thus when Labour entered government they faced a [[balance of payments]] deficit of £800,000,000 ({{Inflation|UK|800000000|1964|r=-4|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}),{{Inflation/fn|UK|df=y}} and an immediate [[Harold Wilson#Economic policies|sterling crisis]]. Both Wilson and Callaghan took a strong stance against [[devaluation]] of sterling, partly due to the perception that the devaluation carried out by the previous Labour government in 1949 had contributed to that government's downfall. The alternative to devaluation, however, was a series of austerity measures designed to reduce demand in the economy in order to reduce imports, and to stabilise the balance of payments and the value of sterling.{{sfn|Conroy|2006|pp=33–38}}
[[File:Groep van tien Ministers van Financien bijeen in Den Haag , Minister Vondeling (, Bestanddeelnr 919-3915.jpg|left|thumb|Callaghan (second left) with [[finance minister]]s in [[The Hague]], 1966]]
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Before the devaluation, Jim Callaghan had announced publicly to the Press and the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] that he would not devalue, something he later said was necessary to maintain confidence in the pound and avoid creating jitters in the financial markets. Callaghan immediately offered his resignation as chancellor, and increasing political opposition forced Wilson to accept it. Wilson then moved [[Roy Jenkins]], the home secretary, to be chancellor; Callaghan became the new home secretary on 30 November 1967.{{sfn|Conroy|2006|p=52}}
====Home secretary, 1967–1970====
Callaghan was responsible for the [[Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968]], a controversial piece of legislation prompted by Conservative assertions that an influx of [[Kenyan Asian]]s would soon inundate the country. It passed through the Commons in a week and placed entry controls on holders of British passports who had "no substantial connection" with Britain by setting up a new system. In his memoirs ''Time and Chance'', Callaghan wrote that introducing the Commonwealth Immigrants Bill had been an unwelcome task but that he did not regret it. He said the Asians had "discovered a loophole" and he told a BBC interviewer: "Public opinion in this country was extremely agitated, and the consideration that was in my mind was how we could preserve a proper sense of order in this country and, at the same time, do justice to these people{{snd}}I had to balance both considerations". An opponent of the Act, Conservative MP [[Ian Gilmour]], said that it was "brought in to keep the blacks out. If it had been the case that it was 5,000 white settlers who were coming in, the newspapers and politicians, Callaghan included, who were making all the fuss would have been quite pleased".<ref>Lattimer, Mark (22 January 1999), [https://www.newstatesman.com/when-labour-played-racist-card When Labour played the racist card] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905192357/https://www.newstatesman.com/when-labour-played-racist-card |date=5 September 2015 }}, ''[[New Statesman]]''.</ref>
Also significant was the passing of the [[Race Relations Act 1968|Race Relations Act]] in the same year, making it illegal to refuse employment, housing or education on the basis of ethnic background. The Act extended the powers of the [[Race Relations Board]] at the time, to deal with complaints of discrimination and unfair attitudes. It also set up a new supervisory body, the Community Relations Commission, to promote "harmonious community relations".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/26/newsid_3220000/3220635.stm |title=BBC ON THIS DAY | 1968: Race discrimination law tightened |work=BBC News |date=26 November 1983 |access-date=30 April 2010 |archive-date=6 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206192711/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/26/newsid_3220000/3220635.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Presenting the Bill to Parliament, Callaghan said: "The House has rarely faced an issue of greater social significance for our country and our children."
=====Northern Ireland=====
[[File:James Callaghan and James Chichester-Clark 1970.jpg|thumb|Callaghan in 1970 (left), with [[Prime Minister of Northern Ireland]] [[James Chichester-Clark]]]]
Callaghan's tenure as home secretary was marked by the emerging conflict in [[Northern Ireland]]: Like all British governments since the [[partition of Ireland]] in 1921, Harold Wilson's Labour government preferred not to intervene in the affairs of Northern Ireland. However in August 1969, [[1969 Northern Ireland riots|escalating sectarian riots]] gave the [[Government of Northern Ireland (1921–1972)|Government of Northern Ireland]] little choice but to ask the British government to intervene directly and send in troops, and it was as home secretary that Callaghan took the decision to deploy British Army troops in the province. In return Callaghan and Wilson demanded that various reforms be implemented in the province, such as the phasing out of the [[Ulster Protestants|Protestant]] paramilitary [[B-Specials]], and their replacement by the [[Ulster Defence Regiment]], and various reforms to reduce discrimination against [[Irish Catholics|Catholics]], such as reforms to the voting franchise, and a reform of local government boundaries and housing allocations. Although the troops were initially welcomed by Northern Ireland's Catholics, by early 1970 this had soured, and the [[Provisional IRA]] emerged, and embarked on what became a decades long violent campaign during what became known as [[The Troubles]].{{sfn|Conroy|2006|pp=64–71}}
=====In Place of Strife=====
In 1969, Callaghan, a strong supporter of the Labour–Trade Union link, led the successful opposition in a divided cabinet to [[Barbara Castle]]'s [[White Paper]] "[[In Place of Strife]]" which sought to modify trade union law. Amongst its numerous proposals were plans to force unions to call a ballot before a strike was held and the establishment of an Industrial Board to enforce settlements in industrial disputes.{{sfn|Conroy|2006|pp=59–64}} If the proposals had become law, many of the activities of the trades unions during the [[Winter of Discontent]] a decade later would have been illegal.
===In opposition, 1970–1974===
Wilson's government went on to be unexpectedly defeated by [[Edward Heath]] at the [[1970 United Kingdom general election|1970 general election]].
Callaghan initially became Shadow Home Secretary, later becoming Shadow Foreign Secretary. In 1973 after an approach from the Conservative Chancellor [[Anthony Barber]] he agreed to have his name go forward for the job of Managing Director of the [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF), however this was vetoed by the French government.{{sfn|Conroy|2006|pp=73–74}}
===Foreign secretary, 1974–1976===▼
===Wilson government, 1974–1976===
▲====Foreign secretary, 1974–1976====
[[File:James Callaghan and Max van der Stoel (1975).jpg|thumb|Callaghan and Dutch foreign minister [[Max van der Stoel]] in 1975]]
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Also in 1975, [[Argentina]] made territorial claims on the [[Falkland Islands]]. In response, Callaghan sent [[HMS Endurance (1967)|HMS ''Endurance'']] to the islands, in order to send a message to Argentina that Britain would defend them. Seven years later, in 1982, Callaghan criticised the government of [[Margaret Thatcher]] for its decision to withdraw ''Endurance'' from the islands; a decision which contributed to the [[Falklands War|Argentine invasion]] that year.{{sfn|Conroy|2006|pp=77–86}}
=====1976 leadership election=====
Barely two years after beginning his second spell as prime minister, Wilson announced his surprise resignation on 16 March 1976, and unofficially endorsed Callaghan as his successor. Callaghan was the favourite to win the [[1976 Labour Party leadership election|leadership election]]; although he was the oldest candidate, he was also the most experienced and least divisive.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} Popularity with all parts of the Labour movement saw him through the ballot of Labour MPs to win the leadership vote. On 5 April 1976, at the age of 64 years and 9 days, Callaghan became prime minister{{snd}}the oldest prime minister at time of appointment since [[Winston Churchill]].
==Prime Minister of the United Kingdom: 1976–1979<span class="anchor" id="Premiership"></span><!-- linked from redirects [[Premiership of James Callaghan]], [[Prime ministership of James Callaghan]] -->==
{{Further|
[[File:James_Callaghan_ppmsca.53218_(cropped).tif|thumb|Callaghan in 1977]]
Callaghan was the only prime minister to have held all three leading Cabinet positions{{snd}}chancellor of the exchequer, home secretary and foreign secretary{{snd}}prior to becoming prime minister.
[[File:President Jimmy Carter and Prime Minister James Callaghan.jpg|thumb|Callaghan (right) with US president [[Jimmy Carter]] in 1978]]
During his first year in office, Callaghan started what has since become known as 'The Great Debate', when he spoke at [[Ruskin College]], [[Oxford]], about the 'legitimate concerns' of the public about the quality of education in the nation's [[maintained school]]s. This discussion led to greater involvement of the government, through its ministries, in the curriculum and administration of state education, leading to the eventual introduction of the [[National curriculum]] some ten years later.<ref>{{cite news |last=Eason |first=Gary |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4386373.stm |title=Callaghan's Great Education Debate |work=BBC News |date=27 March 2005 |access-date=30 April 2010 |archive-date=15 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115082155/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4386373.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Early in his premiership he caused controversy with the appointment of [[Peter Jay (diplomat)|Peter Jay]], his then son-in-law as the [[British Ambassador to the United States]].▼
===IMF loan===
Callaghan came to office at a troubled time for the British economy, which was still recovering from the [[1973–1975 recession|1973–75 global recession]], and was beset by double-digit [[inflation]], and rising unemployment. Within months of entering office, his government was [[1976 sterling crisis|faced with a financial crisis]], which caused the Chancellor [[Denis Healey]] to ask the [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF) for a large loan of $3900 million in order to maintain the value of [[pound sterling|sterling]]. The IMF demanded large cuts in public spending in return for the loan, which caused consternation among Labour's supporters. The Cabinet was split on the issue, and the left of the party led by [[Tony Benn]] put forward an [[Alternative Economic Strategy]] as a proposed alternative to the loan, which involved [[protectionism]], but this option was ultimately rejected
Callaghan was widely judged to have handled the IMF crisis skilfully, avoiding any resignations from the Cabinet, and negotiating much lower spending cuts than had been originally demanded.<ref name="Thorpe70s"/>{{sfn|Conroy|2006|p=100}}
===Minority government===
Callaghan's time as prime minister was dominated by the troubles in running a government with a minority in the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]]: Labour had won a narrow majority of three seats at the [[October 1974 United Kingdom general election|October 1974 election]]. However by April 1976, their overall majority had disappeared, due to by-election losses and the defection of two MPs to the breakaway [[Scottish Labour Party (1976)|Scottish Labour Party]], which left Callaghan heading a [[minority government]], forced to do deals with smaller parties in order to govern. An arrangement negotiated in March 1977 with [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal Party]] leader [[David Steel]], known as the [[Lib–Lab_pact#1977|Lib–Lab pact]], lasted until August the following year. Deals were then forged with various small parties including the [[Scottish National Party]] (SNP) and the Welsh nationalist [[Plaid Cymru]], prolonging the life of the government. The nationalist parties, in turn, demanded [[devolution]] to their respective constituent countries in return for their supporting the government. When referendums for Scottish and Welsh devolution were held in March 1979 the [[1979 Welsh devolution referendum|Welsh devolution referendum]] saw a large majority vote against, while the [[1979 Scottish devolution referendum|Scottish referendum]] returned a narrow majority in favour, but failed to reach the required threshold of 40% of the electorate in support. When the Labour government duly refused to push ahead with setting up the proposed Scottish Assembly, the SNP withdrew its support for the government: this finally brought the government down as the Conservatives triggered a [[1979 vote of no confidence in the government of James Callaghan|vote of no confidence]] in Callaghan's government that was lost by a single vote on 28 March 1979, necessitating a [[1979 United Kingdom general election|general election]].<ref name="Thorpe70s">{{cite book |last1=Thorpe |first1=Andrew |title=A History of The British Labour Party |date=2001 |publisher=Palgrave |isbn=0-333-92908-X |pages=166–188}}</ref>
===Policies===
Callaghan's time as prime minister saw broad continuation of the policies which Labour had adopted since it had been elected in 1974 under Wilson. Callaghan continued the policies of the "[[Social Contract (Britain)|social contract]]" which sought to control inflation through a voluntary [[wage restraint]] agreement with the trade unions. Although the public spending cuts after 1976 made it more difficult for the government to deliver the increased benefits which had been promised as part of the package.<ref name="Thorpe70s"/>
Despite its lack of Parliamentary majority, Callaghan's government was able to carry out a number of reforms in many areas (see [[Labour government, 1974–1979#Major contributions]]), among these was the [[Race Relations Act 1976]], which established the [[Commission for Racial Equality]] to promote racial equality.
In 1977 Callaghan's government [[nationalisation|nationalised]] the shipbuilding industry, creating [[British Shipbuilders]], and the aircraft industry, creating [[British Aerospace]].<ref name="Thorpe70s"/>
▲During his first year in office, Callaghan started what has since become known as 'The Great Debate', when he spoke at [[Ruskin College]], [[Oxford]], about the 'legitimate concerns' of the public about the quality of education in the nation's [[maintained school]]s. This discussion led to greater involvement of the government, through its ministries, in the curriculum and administration of state education, leading to the eventual introduction of the [[National curriculum]] some ten years later.<ref>{{cite news |last=Eason |first=Gary |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4386373.stm |title=Callaghan's Great Education Debate |work=BBC News |date=27 March 2005 |access-date=30 April 2010 |archive-date=15 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115082155/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4386373.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> Early in his premiership he caused controversy with the appointment of [[Peter Jay (diplomat)|Peter Jay]], his then son-in-law as the [[British Ambassador to the United States]].
===Proposed 1978 election===
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[[File:Votes by party in the 1979 vote of no confidence against the government of James Callaghan.png|left|thumb|Votes by party in the [[1979 vote of no confidence in the Callaghan ministry]]. The motion passed by one vote.]]
On 28 March 1979, the House of Commons passed a [[1979 vote of no confidence in the Callaghan ministry|motion of no-confidence by one vote]], 311–310, which forced Callaghan to call a [[1979 United Kingdom general election|general election]] which was held on 3 May.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/28/newsid_2531000/2531007.stm |title=1979: Early election as Callaghan defeated |work=On this Day |access-date=29 March 2009 |date=28 March 1979 |archive-date=9 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209004131/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/28/newsid_2531000/2531007.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> The Conservatives under [[Margaret Thatcher]] ran a campaign on the slogan "[[Labour Isn't Working]]" and won the election. Callaghan agreed to a proposal by [[Brian Walden]], a former Labour MP who was by then a broadcaster, to take part in two [[Leaders' debate|televised debates]] with Margaret Thatcher to be produced by [[
During the 1979 election campaign, Callaghan detected a sea-change in public opinion, which he privately opined:<ref name="JCquotes">{{cite
<blockquote> "You know there are times, perhaps once every thirty years, when there is a sea-change in politics. It then does not matter what you say or what you do. There is a shift in what the public wants and what it approves of. I suspect there is now such a sea change and it is for Mrs Thatcher." </blockquote>
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After losing power in 1979, Labour spent the next 18 years in opposition, pejoratively described as the period in wilderness for the party.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/3067563.stm | work=BBC News | first=Paul | last=Wilenius | title=Enemies within: Thatcher and the unions | date=5 March 2004 | access-date=6 May 2011 | archive-date=18 February 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200218003411/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/3067563.stm | url-status=live }}</ref>
==In opposition, 1979–1980==
In the immediate aftermath of the election defeat, Callaghan wanted to resign as leader, but was persuaded to stay on in the hope that he would provide some stability, and ease the way for [[Denis Healey]] to be elected as his successor. During Callaghan's 17 month stint as opposition leader, the Labour Party was torn apart by factional struggles between the left and right of the party. In the event, the left succeeded in electing [[Michael Foot]] as his successor following the [[1980 Labour Party leadership election (UK)|November 1980 leadership election]], and he returned to the backbenches.{{sfn|Conroy|2006|pp=135-137}}
==Backbenches and retirement, 1980–2005==
In 1982, along with his friend [[Gerald Ford]], he co-founded the annual [[AEI World Forum]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Remembering Gerald Ford, 1913-2006 {{!}} AEI|url=https://www.aei.org/articles/remembering-gerald-ford-1913-2006/|access-date=8 March 2021|website=American Enterprise Institute - AEI|language=en-US|archive-date=1 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301112344/https://www.aei.org/articles/remembering-gerald-ford-1913-2006/|url-status=live}}</ref>
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In October 1999, Callaghan told ''The Oldie Magazine'' that he would not be surprised to be considered as Britain's worst prime minister in 200 years. He also said in this interview that he "must carry the can" for the Winter of Discontent.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/468625.stm | work=BBC News | title=Callaghan expects 'worst PM' tag | date=8 October 1999 | access-date=16 April 2011 | archive-date=6 May 2004 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040506152754/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/468625.stm | url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:Queen Elizabeth II with her British Prime Ministers during her Golden Jubilee in 2002.jpg|thumb|Callaghan (second from right) in 2002 with Queen Elizabeth II, [[Tony Blair]] (left) and three other former Prime Ministers; [[Margaret Thatcher]], [[Edward Heath]] and [[John Major]].]]▼
One of his final public appearances came on 29 April 2002, when shortly after his 90th birthday, he sat alongside the then-Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] and three other surviving former prime ministers at the time{{snd}}[[Edward Heath]], [[Margaret Thatcher]] and [[John Major]] at [[Buckingham Palace]] for a dinner which formed part of the celebrations for the [[Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II]], alongside his daughter [[Margaret Jay, Baroness Jay of Paddington|Margaret, Baroness Jay]], who had served as leader of the [[House of Lords]] from 1998 until 2001.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1957292.stm | work=BBC News | title=Queen dines with her prime ministers | date=29 April 2002 | access-date=11 January 2011 | archive-date=12 February 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212082602/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1957292.stm | url-status=live }}</ref>▼
==Personal life==
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* Julia, who married Ian Hamilton Hubbard and settled in Lancashire
* Michael, who married Jennifer Morris and settled in Essex.
▲[[File:Queen Elizabeth II with her British Prime Ministers during her Golden Jubilee in 2002.jpg|thumb|Callaghan (second from right) in 2002 with Queen Elizabeth II, Tony Blair (left) and three other former Prime Ministers]]
Although there is much doubt about how much belief Callaghan retained into adult life, the Baptist nonconformist ethic was a profound influence throughout all of his public and private life.<ref name="ODNBCallaghan">{{Cite ODNB|id=94837|title=Callaghan, Leonard James [Jim], Baron Callaghan of Cardiff|last=Hattersley|first=Roy|author-link=Roy Hattersley|year=2013}}</ref> It is claimed that Callaghan was an [[atheist]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/132223|title=Why Don't Britain's Leaders Pray in Public?|first=Luke James |last=Reader|publisher=History News Network|access-date=13 December 2021}}</ref> who lost his belief in God while he was working as a trade union official.<ref name="infobritain">{{cite web|url=http://www.infobritain.co.uk/James_Callaghan.htm|title=James Callaghan|publisher=infobritain.co.uk|access-date=16 August 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924034742/http://www.infobritain.co.uk/James_Callaghan.htm|archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref> His son Michael Callaghan disagrees: "My father, Jim Callaghan, was brought up as a practising Baptist and as a young man was a Sunday school teacher. As a young man embracing socialism he had difficulties reconciling his new beliefs with the teachings of his church, but he was persuaded to stay in his Baptist chapel. [...] Incidentally, the title of his autobiography is 'Time and Chance', a quote from Ecclesiastes 9:11."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/letters/2023/01/12/letters-to-the-editor |title=James Callaghan's religion |last1=Callaghan |first1=Michael |date=12 January 2023 |newspaper=[[The Economist]] }}</ref>▼
▲Although there is much doubt about how much belief Callaghan retained into adult life, the Baptist nonconformist ethic was a profound influence throughout all of his public and private life.<ref name="ODNBCallaghan">{{Cite ODNB|id=94837|title=Callaghan, Leonard James [Jim], Baron Callaghan of Cardiff|last=Hattersley|first=Roy|author-link=Roy Hattersley|year=2013}}</ref> It is claimed that Callaghan was an [[atheist]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/132223|title=Why Don't Britain's Leaders Pray in Public?|first=Luke James |last=Reader|publisher=History News Network|access-date=13 December 2021}}</ref> who lost his belief in God while he was working as a trade union official.<ref name="infobritain">{{cite web|url=http://www.infobritain.co.uk/James_Callaghan.htm|title=James Callaghan|publisher=infobritain.co.uk|access-date=16 August 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924034742/http://www.infobritain.co.uk/James_Callaghan.htm|archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref> His son Michael Callaghan disagrees: "My father, Jim Callaghan, was brought up as a practising Baptist and as a young man was a Sunday school teacher. As a young man embracing socialism he had difficulties reconciling his new beliefs with the teachings of his church, but he was persuaded to stay in his Baptist chapel. [...] Incidentally, the title of his autobiography is 'Time and Chance', a quote from Ecclesiastes 9:11."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/letters/2023/01/12/letters-to-the-editor |title=James Callaghan's religion |last1=Callaghan |first1=Michael |date=12 January 2023 |newspaper=[[The Economist]] }}</ref>
▲One of his final public appearances came on 29 April 2002, when shortly after his 90th birthday, he sat alongside the then-Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] and three other surviving former prime ministers at the time{{snd}}[[Edward Heath]], [[Margaret Thatcher]] and [[John Major]] at [[Buckingham Palace]] for a dinner which formed part of the celebrations for the [[Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II]], alongside his daughter [[Margaret Jay, Baroness Jay of Paddington|Margaret, Baroness Jay]], who had served as leader of the [[House of Lords]] from 1998 until 2001.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1957292.stm | work=BBC News | title=Queen dines with her prime ministers | date=29 April 2002 | access-date=11 January 2011 | archive-date=12 February 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070212082602/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1957292.stm | url-status=live }}</ref>
==Death==
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