Peter Clarke on Winston Churchill

“Churchill's associations with Scott's Manchester was part of his education as a Liberal, and he emerged as not only an eloquent but also an effectual exponent of Scott's kind of progressivism... From his Manchester base Churchill became, almost at a bound, a Radical leader... When Churchill was beaten in the Manchester North West by-election, the Guardian mourned the party loss as less than the "irreparable" personal loss of "a rising and formative political force which we would gladly have kept for our special help and service".”

“Churchill showed himself formidably equipped to fulfil a role which Scott had always known he could not himself: that of inspirational leader, leading, moreover, in the direction which Scott had mapped out. At its zenith their relationship represented the fusing of such complementary elements as made progressive achievements possible. Nothing could have pleased Scott more than that in May 1909 the fate of the Budget should impel Churchill to come to Manchester to tread out the corn in his best fashion. Here was the right issue and the right man to rally Lancashire to it; and here was Scott, proud to play host to him – surely their finest hour? And throughout 1909 Scott gave what help he could in ensuring that Churchill's important speeches received full-dress treatment in the Guardian.”