Editing Alec Douglas-Home (section)

====Macmillan's government: 1957–1960 ====
Eden resigned in January 1957. In 1955 he had been the obvious successor to Churchill, but this time there was no clear heir apparent. Leaders of the Conservative party were not elected by ballot of MPs or party members, but emerged after informal soundings within the party, known as "the customary processes of consultation".<ref>Roth, p. 173</ref> The chief whip, [[Edward Heath]], canvassed the views of backbench Conservative MPs, and two senior Conservative peers, the Lord President of the Council, Lord Salisbury, and the Lord Chancellor, [[Lord Kilmuir]], saw members of the cabinet individually to ascertain their preferences. Only one cabinet colleague supported Butler; the rest, including Home, opted for Macmillan. Churchill, whom the Queen consulted, did the same.<ref name="t189">Thorpe (1997), p. 189</ref> Macmillan was appointed prime minister on 10 January 1957.<ref name=t189/>

In the new government Home remained at the Commonwealth Relations Office. Much of his time was spent on matters relating to Africa, where the futures of [[Bechuanaland]] and the [[Central African Federation]] needed to be agreed. Among other matters in which he was involved were the dispute between India and Pakistan over [[Kashmir]], [[Ten Pound Poms|assisted emigration]] from Britain to Australia, and relations with [[Archbishop Makarios]] of Cyprus. The last unexpectedly led to an enhanced cabinet role for Home. Makarios, leader of the militant anti-British and pro-Greek movement, was detained in exile in the [[Seychelles]]. Macmillan, with the agreement of Home and most of the cabinet, decided that this imprisonment was doing more harm than good to Britain's position in Cyprus, and ordered Makarios's release. Lord Salisbury strongly dissented from the decision and resigned from the cabinet in March 1957. Macmillan added Salisbury's responsibilities to Home's existing duties, making him Lord President of the Council and [[Leader of the House of Lords]]. The first of these posts was largely honorific, but the leadership of the Lords put Home in charge of getting the government's business through the upper house, and brought him nearer to the centre of power.<ref>Thorpe (1997), p. 192</ref> In Hurd's phrase, "By the imperceptible process characteristic of British politics he found himself month by month, without any particular manoeuvre on his part, becoming an indispensable figure in the government."<ref name=dnb/>

[[File:Iain Macleod crop.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=middle-aged man, bald, speaking into a microphone|[[Iain Macleod]], who had a difficult relationship with Home]]
Home was generally warmly regarded by colleagues and opponents alike, and there were few politicians who did not respond well to him. One was Attlee, but as their political primes did not overlap this was of minor consequence.<ref>Thorpe (1997), p. 136</ref> More important was [[Iain Macleod]]'s prickly relationship with Home. Macleod, [[Secretary of State for the Colonies]] from 1959 to 1961, was, like Butler, on the liberal wing of the Conservative party; he was convinced, as Home was not, that Britain's colonies in Africa should have majority rule and independence as quickly as possible. Their spheres of influence overlapped in the Central African Federation.{{Efn|The federation consisted of [[Northern Rhodesia]], [[Southern Rhodesia]] and [[Nyasaland]]. The first and third were still colonies and came under Macleod's purview; Southern Rhodesia, which had self-government, was the responsibility of Home's department.<ref>Thorpe (1997), p. 196</ref>}}

Macleod wished to push ahead with majority rule and independence; Home believed in a more gradual approach to independence, accommodating both white minority and black majority opinions and interests. Macleod disagreed with those who warned that precipitate independence would lead the newly independent nations into "trouble, strife, poverty, dictatorship" and other evils.<ref name=frankel/> His reply was, "Would you want the Romans to have stayed on in Britain?"<ref name="frankel">{{Cite news |last=Frankel |first=P H. |date=23 October 1976 |title=Iain Macleod |newspaper=[[The Economist]] |page=4}}</ref> He threatened to resign unless he was allowed to release the leading [[Nyasaland]] activist [[Hastings Banda]] from prison, a move that Home and others thought unwise and liable to provoke distrust of Britain among the white minority in the federation.<ref name=macleod/> Macleod had his way, but by that time Home was no longer at the Commonwealth Relations Office.<ref>Thorpe (1997), p. 202</ref>