The Profumo affair exposed the vulnerability of Harold Macmillan's government and contributed to the Conservatives' defeat in the 1964 general election.
Key Facts
- Secretary of State for War
- John Profumo, aged 46 at start of affair
- Affair began
- 1961
- Lie to House of Commons
- 1963
- Macmillan resigned
- October 1963, citing ill health
- Inquiry by
- Lord Denning, senior judge
- Profumo's later role
- Volunteer at Toynbee Hall charity until death in 2006
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
In 1961, John Profumo, Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan's Conservative government, began an extramarital affair with 19-year-old model Christine Keeler. Keeler was also reportedly involved with Soviet naval attaché Captain Yevgeny Ivanov, raising national security concerns. Both men knew Keeler through osteopath and socialite Stephen Ward.
Profumo denied the affair in a statement to the House of Commons in 1963, but a police investigation weeks later proved he had lied. The scandal became public, prompting an inquiry by Lord Denning. Stephen Ward, charged with immorality offences and widely seen as a scapegoat, took a fatal overdose during his trial, which posthumously convicted him.
The scandal severely damaged the Macmillan government's credibility, leading to Macmillan's resignation in October 1963. It contributed to the Conservative Party's defeat by Labour in the 1964 general election. Profumo later rehabilitated himself through charity work, while Christine Keeler struggled to escape the stigma imposed by press and parliament.