Readers have responded to Blake Morrison's recent article on Andy Burnham's English literature degree and love of poetry, sparking a debate on the value of humanities versus science degrees for political leaders.
Science Degrees Among Prime Ministers
Professor Muffy Calder of the University of Glasgow points out that Margaret Thatcher is the only prime minister to have held a science degree (chemistry). She notes that only three prime ministers in the 1800s had maths or maths and classics degrees: Robert Peel (1808), William Gladstone (1831), and Robert Gascoyne-Cecil (1850, fourth class). None in the last 170 years have had such backgrounds. Calder, a mathematician, emphasizes the importance of careful word choice, a lesson she learned from her PhD supervisor.
Notable English Literature Graduates
Shirley Neish highlights Chris Smith, who earned a first-class degree in English at Pembroke College, Cambridge, and a PhD on William Wordsworth. Smith served as Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury from 1983, was the first openly gay MP, served as secretary of state for culture, media and sport from 1997 to 2001, became a life peer in 2005, master of Pembroke College in 2015, and was elected chancellor of Cambridge University in 2025.
Poetry and Political Judgment
Hilary Cashman wonders if Andy Burnham read Tony Harrison's poem about the first Iraq war, Initial Illumination, before voting for the second war. She hopes that if Burnham becomes prime minister, he will reverse Keir Starmer's silence on the Gaza genocide, which cost Starmer many supporters.
English Degree in Unlikely Places
Gill Davies adds Matt Peet, head coach of the Wigan Warriors rugby league team, to the list of English degree graduates, noting his language skills create "poetry in motion" on the field.
Quotations as Lapel Pins
Theo Cuffe references Geoffrey Madan's observation that Virgil quotations in William Gladstone's speeches were like plover's nests—hard to see until shown—rather than worn on lapels.
