---
title: "Profumo Affair and UK Cabinet Crisis"
year: 1963
country: "United Kingdom"
canonical: "https://recap.at/1963/profumo-affair"
slug: "profumo-affair"
recapType: "global_event"
startDate: "1963-01-01"
---

# Profumo Affair and UK Cabinet Crisis

> Secretary of State John Profumo's resignation over a security scandal triggered the most damaging political crisis in post-war British governance and reshaped public trust.

## Summary

The Profumo affair was a major scandal in British politics during the early 1960s. John Profumo, the 46-year-old Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan's Conservative government, had an extramarital affair with then 19-year-old model Christine Keeler beginning in 1961. Profumo denied the affair in a statement to the House of Commons in 1963; weeks later, a police investigation proved that he had lied. The scandal severely damaged the credibility of Macmillan's government, and Macmillan resigned as Prime Minister in October 1963, citing ill health. The fallout contributed to the Conservative government's defeat by the Labour Party in the 1964 general election.

## Sources

- [Profumo affair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profumo_affair) - Wikipedia

---
Canonical: https://recap.at/1963/profumo-affair