Who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1972?

Edward Heath was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1972.

Sir Edward Richard George Heath was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 1970 June 19 to 1974 March 4 as leader of the Conservative Party.

During his term as prime minister, Heath saw to the decimalization of the British currency. He introduced higher charges on basic services such as education and medication, while raising the maximum school age to 16. He unsuccessfully tried to reduce the power of the unions. Unemployment rose rapidly during his first two terms of office but gradually declined in the later two years. Northern Ireland also had troubles, most notably the killing of 14 people by British soldiers during a civil demonstration. Heath would later be targeted by an unsuccessful assassination attempt in December of 1974.

After the 1974 elections the Conservatives had fewer seats than Labour though neither had a majority. Heath's negotiations with the Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe fell through, and the Liberals formed a coalition with Labour, ending Heath's role as prime minister.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland contains England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which do not have separate prime ministers.