Professor Victoria Honeyman

Profile

My PhD was a critical biography of the Labour MP Richard Crossman and was published in 2007 by I B Tauris. Since completing my PhD at the University of Leeds in 2005, I have taught on a wide range of modules, focusing on British Foreign Policy, Britain and Europe, Brexit, British Politics, the Politics of Aid, Political Corruption and Approaches to Analysis.

My primary research interest is British Politics, with a particular specialism in British foreign policy. I have written extensively on the foreign policy objectives of both the Conservative and Labour Parties. I have recently concluded a chapter on the relationship between John Major, George Bush Snr. and Bill Clinton for a new textbook ‘Presidents and Prime Ministers’, edited by Michael Cullinane and Martin Farr. I have also recently published an article on Boris Johnson’s rhetoric prior to his resignation as Foreign Secretary, and have completed an article with Dr James Strong on an article on Brexit leadership.

I served as Chair of the British International Studies Association Foreign Policy Specialist Group between 2014 and 2018. After stepping down, I was elected as a member of the APSA British Politics Group Executive Committee. I am Co-Chair of the Political Studies Association’s Learning and Teaching Network and was a member of the Subject Benchmark Statement Working Group. I work extensively with the media, providing expert analysis for BBC News and Breakfast, Channel 5, Al Jazeera, France 24, Radio 5 Live and Radio 4 amongst others. I also work extensively with members of the Associated Press. I have also written for the UK in a Changing Europe Group, the Foreign Policy Centre and the Conversation website.

Responsibilities

• Pro-Dean of Student Education, Faculty of Social Sciences
• Leader of the Women in POLIS Group

Research interests

Much of my current research is focused on British Foreign Policy, particularly Britain’s relationship with its former colonies and how Overseas Development Aid fits into this. I have a particular interest in the foreign policy objectives of the Blair, Brown and Cameron government, although I have written about foreign policy in other time periods. In 2019 I published an article focusing on the Blair government’s Development Aid policy (published in Contemporary British History, 2019) and in 2020 published an article with the Foreign Policy Centre discussing the impact of DFID being integrated into the FCDO.

I have written extensively on the foreign policy objectives of both the Conservative and Labour Parties. I have recently concluded a chapter on the relationship between John Major, George Bush Snr. and Bill Clinton for a new textbook ‘Presidents and Prime Ministers’, edited by Michael Cullinane and Martin Farr. I have also recently published an article on Boris Johnson’s rhetoric prior to his resignation as Foreign Secretary, and have completed an article with Dr James Strong on an article on Brexit leadership.I have just finished work on a chapter on John Major as a cabinet minister, an article on the teaching of politics in the UK, two articles (co-authored) on the Subject Benchmarking Statement exercise for Politics and International Relations and a chanpter on British Foreign Policy for an edited collection. I am currently working on an article on curriculum reform and am expecting to begin work on a textbook focused on British Foreign Policy imminently.

Qualifications

• PhD
• PGCLTHE
• MA
• BA (Hons)

Professional memberships

• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Authority (now HE Advance)
• Fellow of the Royal Historical Society
• Member of the British International Studies Association
• Member of the Political Studies Association
• Member of the 2023 Subject Benchmark Statement Working Group
• Associate of the British Foreign Policy Group
• Co-Chair of the PSA Learning and Teaching Network

Student education

I am the Pro-Dean  of Student Education for the Faculty of Social Sciences.

In addition to working in POLIS I have also taught in the School of History and worked at the University of Salford for several years running their second year Labour Party History module.

Research groups and institutes

• Leadership, Parties and Institutions