John Profumo its defeat by Labour at the 1964 election. Macmillan had already gone by then, having resigned in October 1963 to be succeeded by Alec Douglas-Home. Profumo maintained complete public silence about the matter for the rest of his life, even when the 1989 film "Scandal" - in which he was played by Ian McKellen - and the publication of Keeler's memoirs revived public interest in the affair. Profumo was portrayed by Daniel Flynn in Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage musical "Stephen Ward", which opened at the Aldwych Theatre on 19 December 2013. Shortly after his resignation, Profumo was invited to work
History of the Conservative Party (UK) there was widespread public and media doubt as to whether the Labour Party was capable of winning a general election ever again. However, rising unemployment and an economic downturn in the early 1960s eroded support for Macmillan's government. It was further rocked in 1963 by the resignation of the Secretary of State for War John Profumo over the Profumo Affair. In October of that year, Macmillan was misdiagnosed with terminal cancer and resigned. The party at this time lacked a formal process for electing a new leader and Macmillan's resignation took place in the week of the annual Conservative Party