Labour government, 1974–1979
In March 1976, having just turned sixty years old, Wilson resigned as Prime Minister, ending his leadership of the Labour Party after thirteen years, and a total of nearly eight years as Prime Minister. He was replaced by James Callaghan, who had held senior government positions during both of Wilson's ministries, and had served as a Shadow Cabinet member in the early-1960s.
Brian Wilson (Labour politician)
A former politician, Wilson holds directorships in a number of businesses and continues to publicly comment on British Government energy policy, particularly on the subject of nuclear power, of which he is a supporter, and has written opinion pieces in national newspapers as well as appearing on television news programmes to air his views. Both as Energy Minister and subsequently, he has called for Britain to retain a balanced energy policy with contributions to our electricity needs from nuclear, renewables, coal pollution mitigation, and gas. He was also chair of Flying Matters which advocated a pro-aviation response to climate change. In April 2008, Wilson became a Visiting Professor in Media and Government at Glasgow Caledonian University. In September 2009, he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the University of the Highlands and Islands. Between 2009, and 2013, he was chair of Britain's Energy Coast, the economic development agency for West Cumbria. In 2017, he became a Visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde. He was appointed a UK Business Ambassador under the coalition government in a non-political capacity in 2013 and continues to hold that role.