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 completed 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.

Office Hours

Summer 2025 - by appointment.

External Work

Since 2023 I have been an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and am currently working towards Fellowship (FHEA).

I am a Book Reviews Editor for the journal Cold War History and a commissioning editor for H-Diplo.

I regularly review articles and books for a number of publishers, including British Journal of Politics and International Relations, Contemporary European History, Journal of Common Market Studies, Palgrave, Routledge and Twentieth Century British.

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.

Current Teaching

As module leader:

• HIS3370 - Beyond Brexit: The UK and European Integration since 1945

As contributing lecturer:

• HIS1105 - What is History for?

• 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.