Staff Profiles

Biography

Originally from Canada, I moved to London in 2012 to pursue a MSc in International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Following that I spent 18 months working in the Civil Service, as a researcher in the Department for Work and Pensions and then as a Private Secretary in what was then the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. In 2014 I began a PhD at Queen Mary University of London, which explored the UK's relationship with the European Community in the period from the UK's accession in 1973 to the referendum in 1975. After completing my PhD in 2018 I held post-doctoral fellowships at the University of Cambridge and a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at the University of Westminster. I joined Newcastle in 2025 as a Lecturer in History.

Qualifications

PhD in History, Queen Mary University of London, 2018

FHEA, 2025

Research interests

My research focuses on British international history and politics in the period after 1945. My main area of interest is the UK's relationship with European integration, especially the European Community and European Union. More broadly, I am interested in party-political debates about the UK's place in the world after 1945; the history of the EU and other international institutions; and referendums and direct democracy. I use a variety of sources in my research including official archives, personal papers, oral histories and public opinion polling. I welcome enquiries for research supervision in these areas.

I have recently finished a research project on British officials and politicians in the European Commission which was supported by a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship (ECF). This research has informed my forthcoming book tentatively titled On the margins of Europe? The British in Brussels, 1973–2020. The ECF also supported two book chapters; the first is on debates about Europe at Wilton Park (an Executive Agency of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office); the second is on Harold Wilson and European integration.

Supervision

I am happy to consider research proposals from students interested in post-1945 British international history, UK-EU relations, the history of international institutions and 20th century British political history.

Office Hours – 2025/26

Semester 1

Tuesday 16:00–17:00, online via Teams (please email to make an appointment)

Thursday 12:00–14:00, ARMB 1.26 (please note that on 30 October and 4 December my hours will be 14:00–16:00)

Semester 2 (TBC)

Monday 16:00–17:00, online via Teams (please email to make an appointment)

Tuesday 11:00–13:00, ARMB 1.26

Undergraduate teaching in 2025/26

• HIS1103 - History Lab II
• HIS1105 - What is History for?
• HIS2300 - 1968: A Global Moment?
• HIS2304 - Crafting History
• HIS3370 - Beyond Brexit: The UK and European Integration since 1945

Postgraduate teaching in 2025/26

• HIS8123 - Oral History & Public History

• Articles

  • Aqui L, Kenny M, Pearce N. 'The Empire of England': Enoch Powell, sovereignty and the constitution of the nation. Twentieth Century British History 2021, 32(2), 238-260.
  • Aqui, L. 'No' Vote Contingency Planning for the 1975 Referendum. Journal of European Integration History 2020, 26(1), 107–126.
  • Aqui, L. Government Policy and Propaganda in the 1975 Referendum on European Community Membership. Contemporary British History 2020, 34(1), 575–591.

• Authored Book

  • Aqui L. The First Referendum: Reassessing Britain's Entry to Europe, 1973–75. Manchester University Press, 2020.

• Book Chapter

  • Aqui L. Harold Wilson: 'No More Difficult Task' than Europe. In: Broad M; King W, ed. The Labour Party and European Integration: A Biographical Approach. Bristol: Bristol University Press, 2025. In Press.