About Museum of the Prime Minister
The Museum of the Prime Minister is dedicated to the history, influence, interpretation and legacy of the Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom. It will collect and conserve items related to those who have served as Prime Minister. It will promote the understanding of British history and the values of leadership, good government and democracy.
About us
The Museum of the Prime Minister was founded by Dr. Robert D. Kilgour and Sir Anthony Seldon in 2023. The aim of the project is the creation of a new museum about the Prime Minister, the most important democratic office in the United Kingdom.
There is no part of Britain untouched by the decisions of the Prime Minister. Downing Street, historically, has been the most powerful street in the history of the planet. However, at the time of writing, there is no permanent museum dedicated to this historic office.
The Museum of the Prime Minister will allow visitors to explore the achievements, failures, and decisions of Prime Ministers past and present. The museum will also tell the story of Downing Street itself allowing tourists the opportunity to visit a place that, thus far they could only glimpse through the railings.
The Museum of the Prime Minister will collect and bring to life items related to Prime Minsters that have no real place in current museum collections and that currently languish in storerooms.
The Museum of the Prime Minister is, at the present time, an aspirational project. In time, we hope to acquire the facilities for both permanent and temporary museum exhibitions.
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Image credit: Winston Churchill (The Roaring Lion), Yousaf Karsch, 30 December 1941. Library and Archives Canada (Accession number MIKAN 3915740)/CC by 2.0
Meet the team
Sir Anthony Seldon
Co-founder and Trustee
Sir Anthony is a widely-respected authority on all matters relating to Number 10 and Britain’s prime ministers.
His first book on a prime minister, Churchill’s Indian Summer, was published forty years ago. He has since written or edited more than 40 books, including definitive insider accounts of six of the last prime ministers.
Sir Anthony was the honorary historian of Number 10 Downing Street, chair of the National Archives Trust, and has interviewed virtually all senior figures who have worked in Number 10 in the last fifty years.
His most recent books are – The Path of Peace: Walking the Western Front Way (2022) and Johnson at 10: The Inside Story (2023).
Dr. Robert D. Kilgour
Co-founder, Chairman & Trustee
Robert is a Scottish entrepreneur and philanthropist.
He is founder and chair of Renaissance Care which operates nineteen care homes throughout Scotland with 1,500 staff and he also sits on several boards across a range of fields including corporate finance and technology.
In 2017, he founded and chairs SBUK, a group of 500 Scottish businesses campaigning for Scotland to remain part of the UK.
In June 2023, he received an honorary doctorate from Stirling University for his ‘outstanding contribution to entrepreneurship and philanthropy’ and he also recently founded the Social Care Foundation to promote and encourage reform of social care.
Jacqueline C. Kilgour
Trustee
Jacqueline is a Portfolio NED with a focus on governance, regulation and risk management. She sits on a number of boards, including the Aberdeen Plc platform business, where she chairs the Risk Committee and is the Consumer Duty Champion. Jacqueline started her career as a Solicitor in City Private Practice before moving into investment banking. Jacqueline was an MD for Citigroup, based in New York with responsibilities in over 100 countries, including for anti-financial crime and trust business. Jacqueline also ran her own consulting business advising on governance and regulatory matters. Jacqueline is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.
Bob Wigley
Trustee
Bob is the chairman of UK Finance, where he represents the UK banking and finance sector with the HM government and regulators. He has spent 25 years in the banking industry, most recently as the chairman of Merrill Lynch for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and as a court member of the Bank of England during the global financial crisis. He supports entrepreneurs and is passionate about growth businesses, especially in digital and disruptive technology sectors. He also advises governments and chairs commissions for governments, most recently including the Green Investment Bank Commission for the UK Government.
Dawn Park
Interim Chief Operating Officer
Dawn is an operations manager, business leader and entrepreneur with a wide range of skills, knowledge and experience gained over 35 years working in the charity, banking and creative sectors, bringing big ideas to life and designing and delivering successful campaigns and projects.
She is Interim Chief Operating Officer at MoPM, Chief of Staff at Dow Investments Plc and Co-founder and Managing Director of branding and design agency, Condensed Creative.
She has helped MoPM to reach key milestones in its start-up journey and will continue to support the museum as it develops and grows.
Jonathan Meakin
Researcher and Project Historian
Jonathan was educated at Royal Holloway, University of London and at the University of St Andrews. He is a professional researcher and has worked on many publications including The Cabinet Office, 1916-2016 and The Impossible Office: A History of the British Prime Minister. He has also worked as a researcher on political and historical topics. He has worked at historical sites in Britain and as a volunteer in the United States.
Supporting our mission
The RT Hon Sir John Major KG CH
“Britain is a nation which thrives upon her history, and yet – unlike many other countries – there is no Museum dedicated to the Office of Prime Minister. That is now to be rectified.
There are many truths – and as many myths – about the 58 Prime Ministers who, thus far, have presided over our national evolution. I believe this Museum will bring to life the context of their Premierships, their hopes and fears, successes and setbacks. It will also explain why that title has become the longest surviving template for the role of Head of Government across most of the Western World. I wish it every possible success.”
Dr Robert D. Kilgour
Co-founder and chairman of MoPM
“The office of prime minister is a legacy that Britain has given to the world. And yet there is no museum dedicated to this great office, nor to the collection of people who have served in it. But it does not have to be like this. So many other countries in the world have established museums and exhibitions to celebrate their former leaders. Our report considers their example and will, I hope, encourage debate about establishing a museum of the prime minister here in the United Kingdom.”
Sir Anthony Seldon
Founder and creator of MoPM
“There is no part of Britain, and not many parts of the world, untouched by the decisions of the prime minister. Downing Street has been the most powerful street in history and it is time for a museum dedicated to the prime minister and No 10. It will be a centre that educates, informs, researches, collects, conserves, interprets and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of the most long-standing leaders office in the democratic world.”
Rt. Hon. Dame Penny Mordaunt DBE
“The office of Prime Minister is central to how a government operates and it has evolved rapidly particularly in the last few decades. No examination of political events can be complete without serious focus on this office. I very much welcome this project which will help us examine and celebrate our history.”
Rt. Hon. Lord Deben
“I was so pleased to read your proposal for an exhibition to present the history of the office of Prime Minister. Britain is so bad at celebrating its history – particularly its political inheritance. We take it for granted and therefore don’t understand it. It would be so good for all of us – Parliamentarians. commentators, and the public – simply to review the 300 years of this seminal office. We should all support your concept.”
Dan Snow MBE
“I’m very happy to support the Museum of the Prime Minister. It will be a beacon of historical insight, illuminating the lives and legacies of those who have shaped our nation. 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.”
