Not an ‘ordinary Under-Secretary’ for India: the unconventional political career of Lord Lothian

Abstract

ABSTRACT Lord Lothian (Philip Kerr) (1882–1940) had a close association with India for almost thirty years. He played a crucial role in the development of the early policy of The Round Table towards the subcontinent. He was a short-lived junior minister in charge of Indian affairs during a critical phase of the late colonial constitutional reforms. After his resignation he maintained an active relationship with India and an influential presence. During all of this time he consistently advocated the encouragement of a competitive party political system which he saw as the best guarantee of the growth of democracy on the subcontinent.