Historiography of the British Empire the first British Empire" (2008); Piers Brendon, "The Decline and Fall of the British Empire, 1781–1997" (2008), and Phillip J. Smith, "The Rise And Fall Of The British Empire: Mercantilism, Diplomacy and the Colonies" (2015). There were also large-scale popular histories, such as those by Winston Churchill, "A History of the English-Speaking Peoples" (4 vol. 1956–58) and Arthur Bryant, "The History of Britain and the British Peoples" (3 vols. 1984–90). Obviously from their titles a number of writers have been inspired by the famous "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" (6 vols 1776–1781) by Edward
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom century as a convention of the constitution, the position of Leader of the Opposition was given statutory recognition in 1937 by the Ministers of the Crown Act. British Prime Ministers have never been elected directly by the public. A Prime Minister need not be a party leader; David Lloyd George was not a party leader during his service as prime Minister during World War I, and neither was Ramsay MacDonald from 1931 to 1935. Prime Ministers have taken office because they were members of either the Commons or Lords, and either inherited a majority in the Commons or won more