Dan Snow to advise on creation of new Museum of the Prime Minister

Historian Dan Snow has joined the advisory council for the planned Museum of the Prime Minister.

The initiative is being led by Anthony Seldon, the political biographer and historian of Downing Street, and Scottish entrepreneur Robert Kilgour. The pair have set up a registered charity to drive the plans forward.

The mission of the charity is to establish a permanent museum “where visitors can explore the achievements, failures and decisions of British prime ministers”. It is hoped that museum will open in Westminster in 2030.

Seldon said the institution aimed to be “the most significant new national museum of the last decade”, while Kilgour has described it as “a museum about our past to educate our future”.

The cross-party advisory council also includes Labour peer Margaret Jay (Baroness Jay of Paddington), who is the daughter of former Labour prime minister James Callaghan, and Conservative peer Charlotte Vere (Baroness Vere of Norbiton).

Snow, who is the great great grandson of David Lloyd George, the Liberal MP who served as prime minister from 1916 to 1922, said the museum promised to be “a beacon of historical insight, illuminating the lives and legacies of those who have shaped our nation”. 

He added: “I'm very happy to support the Museum of the Prime Minister and look forward to helping shape its future as a member of the advisory council. 

“The history of one of the world's great political offices is rich and varied and this museum will bring to life the stories of those who have served as Britain's prime minister. It will ensure that future generations can connect with the personal journeys and monumental decisions that have defined our political heritage. 

“It will ensure that future generations can connect with the personal journeys and monumental decisions that have defined our political heritage."

Snow’s appointment comes as a separate temporary exhibition opens in Westminster Hall today (16 May) celebrating 300 years of parliament and the office of prime minister.

The exhibition consists of a series of 12 panels covering the rise to prominence of Sir Robert Walpole, widely regarded as Britain's first prime minister, the establishment of the office of prime minister and historical information on a selection of former prime ministers.

It also explores one of the great parliamentary rivalries, between the Conservative Benjamin Disraeli and the Liberal William Gladstone, who clashed in parliament across 20 years. A panel showing 10 Downing Street's famous black door provides photo opportunities for visitors, who are able to access a digital guide on Bloomberg Connects by a QR code.