Professor Anthony King.

In recognition of his lifelong contribution to political studies, Professor Anthony King from our Department of Government has been awarded the prestigious Sir Isaiah Berlin Prize by the Political Studies Association (PSA).

As the UK’s leading body for the study and development of politics, the PSA Awards Jury explained their decision to award Professor King, saying: “As a major figure in British political science for over five decades Professor Anthony King has been awarded the Sir Isaiah Berlin Prize in recognition of the huge contribution he has made to the study of politics and the work he has done to bridge the divide between academic political science and the public understanding of politics.

“King has been prolific across a number of media, including radio, television and print journalism and is author of a number of seminal articles and hugely important books on British elections and political parties, the 1975 referendum, the British constitution and policy failures.”

Professor King was presented with the prize by Katie Ghose, CEO of the Electoral Reform Society, at an awards dinner in Westminster this month. Talking about his prize, he said: “I’m delighted to have received the PSA’s Lifetime Achievement Award.”

The Sir Isaiah Berlin Prize was awarded to former Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Ivor Crewe in 2004, and to former Essex Professor Baroness Onora O'Neill in 2014.