A new season of The Crown has launched on Netflix, and it brings the Royal Family into a new decade. A new Prime Minister is also present, with his portrayal being controversial. But who is the Prime Minister in The Crown Season 5? Spoilers follow.
The much anticipated fifth season of The Crown has arrived on Netflix, covering the events of the Royal Family up to just before Princess Diana’s death in 1997. It has brought with it two new Prime Ministers, John Major and Tony Blair (Bertie Carvel). Many people see Major as being a weaker Prime Minister in recent memory, one who struggled to keep his party in line and someone who was seen as dull, a stark comparison to his predecessor Margaret Thatcher.
Blair is remembered more fondly than Major, with him being a livelier, younger Prime Minister. He has had his fair share of controversy though, but that appears later in his premiership.
Who is the Prime Minister in The Crown season 5?
Season five of The Crown continues to explore the Royals in their lives, including the new Prime Minister. John Major is the new Prime Minister in the season, after taking over from Margaret Thatcher. He is a staunch monarchist, supporting the Royal family, and helping them through their many crises and scandals throughout the 1990s.
Tony Blair also appears as the Prime Minister late on in the fifth season, as he beats John Major in the spring 1997 election.
John Major himself has commented on his portrayal in The Crown, telling the British newspaper The Mail on Sunday that he saw the show as a “barrel load of malicious nonsense”. He particularly criticizes a scene in the first episode, where it suggests that he and Prince Charles had a meeting about the Queen’s abdication, with Charles bringing up the Conservative Party’s tendency to regularly remove their leaders, which he says didn’t happen.
Tony Blair has also criticized the show, telling the Daily Telegraph The Crown is “complete and utter rubbish.”
The Crown is facing increased controversy over its fictitious representation of the Royal Family, with Netflix now including a warning label on the show.
Who plays John Major in The Crown season 5?
John Major is played by Jonny Lee Miller, who audiences will recognize for his role as Sick Boy in both Trainspotting films, the first one in 1996 with its sequel in 2017.
Miller has appeared in several other films, such as the 1997 film Afterglow, and the 2002 film The Escapist, and stars in the 2006 film The Flying Scotsman. More recently, he has appeared in the 2021 film Settlers and the 2022 film Alice.
Miller’s portrayal of Major is lively and engaging, quite unlike the boring man many people see him as.
What period is John Major’s premiership?
John Major was Prime Minister from 1990 until his electoral defeat in 1997. He is seen by many to be grey and dull, very different from his predecessor Margaret Thatcher. His rise to party leader and Prime Minister was surprising, as he was a relatively unknown figure until he became the Chancellor in 1989.
Major triggered a leadership election in 1995 and defeated his opponent, John Redwood. This leadership election was mainly triggered by the division over the European Union in the Conservative Party.
Major was for further integration into the bloc, but many people in his party disagreed with him, including people in his own cabinet. When asked why he didn’t sack them, Major replied by using an expletive, unaware he was being recorded. This only emboldened his critics.
He would see some success, managing to lay the groundwork for The Good Friday Agreement.
What party did John Major represent?
John Major represents the Conservative and Unionist Party, or the Conservative Party for short. They are the right-wing party in the UK and had been in power since 1979.
Major had a difficult premiership, with many more issues than an internally divided party. He only just won the 1992 general election, meaning that he struggled to get his agenda passed. The same year, he faced an economic crisis with the UK’s sudden withdrawal from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism, meaning that the Conservatives lost the image of the party of economic competence.
Several scandals would happen under Major’s watch, and while he himself wasn’t doing anything wrong he appeared ineffectual at stopping the sleaze. One example is the cash-for-questions scandal, where two Conservative Members of Parliament were bribed into asking questions on behalf of the owner of the Harrods department store Mohamed Al-Fayed.
The Conservatives lose the 1997 general election to Tony Blair and the Labour Party, after which Major resigns as leader of the Conservative Party. Tony Blair would go on to win two further elections in 2001 and 2005 and resigned as Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party in 2007.
So, that’s who the Prime Minister is in The Crown season 5. You can watch the show with a subscription to Netflix.
