IAIN WATSON is a BBC Political Correspondent who works across TV, radio and online. He reports regularly for Radio 4’s Today programme and previously for BBC2’s Newsnight and the flagship BBC1 political show On the Record. He extensively covered both the 2010 and 2015 general elections, spending the entire campaigns ‘on the road’. He also covered the Scottish referendum. Despite being Westminster editor of the Sunday Herald, he was delighted to decamp to Edinburgh to cover the first elections to the Scottish parliament in 1999. He lives in London with his wife and son.

A gripping, well-crafted insight into Labour's failures. - Mark Aitken, Sunday Mail

• ContentsAcknowledgements 9Preface 11The Accidental Leader 13There may be Trouble Ahead – The Election in Microcosm 41Deal or No Deal 48The Battle for Downing Street 53From Builder to Soldier: Britain Succeeds When Working People Succeed 58Funny Business 63Zero Sum Game 69We’re all Labour Here 76Happy Warrior 83Chips off the Old Block 86A bit of Politics 89A Taxing Issue 90Education, Education… Fratricide 93One Nation, No Vision? 96Unions and the Union 100Worry Points 102A Flock of Starlings 10813,000 Conversations 111In Good Health? 114Hold the Front Page 116Missing a Trick? 120Invitation Only 122Campaign Stop 127Not a Big Enough Difference 130Put to the Test 133Immigration and Exploitation 135Marriage of Convenience 141A Day at the Races 143The Most Unlikely Cult of the 21st Century 146Blood on His Hands, Blood on the Carpet 148New Town Blues 151Generation Rent 154Marred by the SNP Myth 156A Trip to the Theatre 158Building Non-Traditional Support 160Labour’s Brand Problem 162Dangerous Territory 164No Question of Deals 168A Question of Credibility 171Mayday, Mayday… Scottish Labour’s Existential Threat 178Facebook v Foot-Weary: Right People, Wrong Conversations 184Luvvies for Labour 190Edstone 192Message, Not Mileage 197Five Million Conversations 199The Strange Disappearance of Arnie Graf 205A Little Less Conversation: Food, Drink and Fun 208Breakfast in Doncaster 213The Loser Always Wins? 215Moment of Truth 220Nuneaton is the New Basildon 223Exit 226A Question of Leadership 230AppendicesAppendix 1 Clause 4 – Aims and Values 265Appendix 2 Labour Party Leaders 266Appendix 3 Selected quotes 268Appendix 4 Labour Votes at General Elections 273Appendix 5 Campaign Chronology 274Appendix 6 Labour Party Leadership results announced12 September 2015 277Appendix 7 Miliband and Corbyn buzzwords 278

IAIN WATSON is a BBC Political Correspondent who works across TV, radio and online. He reports regularly for Radio 4’s Today programme and previously for BBC2’s Newsnight and the flagship BBC1 political show On the Record. He extensively covered both the 2010 and 2015 general elections, spending the entire campaigns ‘on the road’. He also covered the Scottish referendum. Despite being Westminster editor of the Sunday Herald, he was delighted to decamp to Edinburgh to cover the first elections to the Scottish parliament in 1999. He lives in London with his wife and son.

A gripping, well-crafted insight into Labour's failures. - Mark Aitken, Sunday Mail

• ContentsAcknowledgements 9Preface 11The Accidental Leader 13There may be Trouble Ahead – The Election in Microcosm 41Deal or No Deal 48The Battle for Downing Street 53From Builder to Soldier: Britain Succeeds When Working People Succeed 58Funny Business 63Zero Sum Game 69We’re all Labour Here 76Happy Warrior 83Chips off the Old Block 86A bit of Politics 89A Taxing Issue 90Education, Education… Fratricide 93One Nation, No Vision? 96Unions and the Union 100Worry Points 102A Flock of Starlings 10813,000 Conversations 111In Good Health? 114Hold the Front Page 116Missing a Trick? 120Invitation Only 122Campaign Stop 127Not a Big Enough Difference 130Put to the Test 133Immigration and Exploitation 135Marriage of Convenience 141A Day at the Races 143The Most Unlikely Cult of the 21st Century 146Blood on His Hands, Blood on the Carpet 148New Town Blues 151Generation Rent 154Marred by the SNP Myth 156A Trip to the Theatre 158Building Non-Traditional Support 160Labour’s Brand Problem 162Dangerous Territory 164No Question of Deals 168A Question of Credibility 171Mayday, Mayday… Scottish Labour’s Existential Threat 178Facebook v Foot-Weary: Right People, Wrong Conversations 184Luvvies for Labour 190Edstone 192Message, Not Mileage 197Five Million Conversations 199The Strange Disappearance of Arnie Graf 205A Little Less Conversation: Food, Drink and Fun 208Breakfast in Doncaster 213The Loser Always Wins? 215Moment of Truth 220Nuneaton is the New Basildon 223Exit 226A Question of Leadership 230AppendicesAppendix 1 Clause 4 – Aims and Values 265Appendix 2 Labour Party Leaders 266Appendix 3 Selected quotes 268Appendix 4 Labour Votes at General Elections 273Appendix 5 Campaign Chronology 274Appendix 6 Labour Party Leadership results announced12 September 2015 277Appendix 7 Miliband and Corbyn buzzwords 278

IAIN WATSON is a BBC Political Correspondent who works across TV, radio and online. He reports regularly for Radio 4’s Today programme and previously for BBC2’s Newsnight and the flagship BBC1 political show On the Record. He extensively covered both the 2010 and 2015 general elections, spending the entire campaigns ‘on the road’. He also covered the Scottish referendum. Despite being Westminster editor of the Sunday Herald, he was delighted to decamp to Edinburgh to cover the first elections to the Scottish parliament in 1999. He lives in London with his wife and son.

A gripping, well-crafted insight into Labour's failures. - Mark Aitken, Sunday Mail

• ContentsAcknowledgements 9Preface 11The Accidental Leader 13There may be Trouble Ahead – The Election in Microcosm 41Deal or No Deal 48The Battle for Downing Street 53From Builder to Soldier: Britain Succeeds When Working People Succeed 58Funny Business 63Zero Sum Game 69We’re all Labour Here 76Happy Warrior 83Chips off the Old Block 86A bit of Politics 89A Taxing Issue 90Education, Education… Fratricide 93One Nation, No Vision? 96Unions and the Union 100Worry Points 102A Flock of Starlings 10813,000 Conversations 111In Good Health? 114Hold the Front Page 116Missing a Trick? 120Invitation Only 122Campaign Stop 127Not a Big Enough Difference 130Put to the Test 133Immigration and Exploitation 135Marriage of Convenience 141A Day at the Races 143The Most Unlikely Cult of the 21st Century 146Blood on His Hands, Blood on the Carpet 148New Town Blues 151Generation Rent 154Marred by the SNP Myth 156A Trip to the Theatre 158Building Non-Traditional Support 160Labour’s Brand Problem 162Dangerous Territory 164No Question of Deals 168A Question of Credibility 171Mayday, Mayday… Scottish Labour’s Existential Threat 178Facebook v Foot-Weary: Right People, Wrong Conversations 184Luvvies for Labour 190Edstone 192Message, Not Mileage 197Five Million Conversations 199The Strange Disappearance of Arnie Graf 205A Little Less Conversation: Food, Drink and Fun 208Breakfast in Doncaster 213The Loser Always Wins? 215Moment of Truth 220Nuneaton is the New Basildon 223Exit 226A Question of Leadership 230AppendicesAppendix 1 Clause 4 – Aims and Values 265Appendix 2 Labour Party Leaders 266Appendix 3 Selected quotes 268Appendix 4 Labour Votes at General Elections 273Appendix 5 Campaign Chronology 274Appendix 6 Labour Party Leadership results announced12 September 2015 277Appendix 7 Miliband and Corbyn buzzwords 278