"Rivers of Blood" is a famous speech made by which British politician in 1968?

John Enoch Powell (16 June 1912 – 8 February 1998) was a British politician, classical scholar, author, linguist, soldier, philologist, and poet. He served as a Conservative Member of Parliament (1950–1974), then Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) MP (1974–1987), and was Minister of Health (1960–1963).

Powell attracted widespread attention following his 20 April 1968 address to the General Meeting of the West Midlands Area Conservative Political Centre, which became known as the "Rivers of Blood" speech. It criticised the then current rates of immigration into the UK, especially from the New Commonwealth, and opposed the anti-discrimination legislation Race Relations Bill. In response, Conservative Party leader Edward Heath sacked Powell from his position as Shadow Defence Secretary (1965–1968) in the Conservative opposition. The speech was immediately considered by many as a blatant demonstration of racism, drawing sharp criticism from his own party and from the press.

In the aftermath of the "Rivers of Blood" speech, several polls suggested that between 67 and 82 per cent of the UK population agreed with Powell's opinions. His supporters claimed that the large public following which Powell attracted helped the Conservatives to win the 1970 general election.