Sebastian Payne – författare

This book explores the nature of the Crown in its legal and political context. Here the term The Crown is being used, not as a direct reference to the Queen but, as a reference to the central power of the State which exercises legal and political authority. It is a surprising fact that the nature of the Crown has not been the object of extensive literature with pride of place on constitutional law courses. The nature of the Crown has been taken for granted, in part because it is so fundamental and in part because many academics have no idea what the term The Crown amounts to. This book aims to redress this state of affairs by drawing together in one book a collection of essays that explores what the Crown is, or might be, and the critical issues relating to it. The Crown refers to the authority of Government and the very entity of Government. All the people going about the Governments business, Ministers of the Crown and civil servants do so under the cloak of the Crown with its powers and immunities. The idea of democracy may appear central to our political arrangements but the legal facts are that the Crown subsists not merely as the power: it is the state. If the legal facts of our political arrangements clash with our individual beliefs about democracy then that clash is of the highest importance.

The Fall of Boris Johnson is the explosive inside account of how a prime minister lost his hold on power. From Sebastian Payne, former Financial Times Whitehall editor and author of Broken Heartlands.Winner – Parliamentary Book Awards, Best Political BookA New Statesman, The Times, Daily Mail and FT Book of the Year'Revelatory' - The Daily Telegraph'Delicious detail' - The TimesBoris Johnson was touted as the saviour of the country and the Conservative Party, obtaining a huge commons majority and finally getting Brexit done. But within three short years, he was deposed in disgrace, leaving the country in crisis.Sebastian Payne, Whitehall Editor for the Financial Times, tells the essential behind-the-scenes story, charting the series of scandals that felled Johnson: from the blocked suspension of Owen Paterson to partygate, and, then the final death blow: the Chris Pincher allegations. This is the full narrative of the betrayals, rivalries and resignations that resulted in the dramatic Conservative coup and set in motion events that saw the party sink to catastrophic new lows.With unparalleled access to those who were in the room when key decisions were made, Payne tells of the miscalculations and mistakes that led to Boris’s downfall. This is a gripping and timely look at how power is gained, wielded and lost in Britain today.'Genuinely page-turning' - Andrew Marr'Brilliant' - Fraser Nelson

The Fall of Boris Johnson is the explosive inside account of how a prime minister lost his hold on power. From Sebastian Payne, former Whitehall Editor for the Financial Times and author of Broken Heartlands.Winner of the Parlimentary Book AwardsA New Statesman, The Times, Daily Mail and FT Book of the Year'Revelatory' – The Daily Telegraph'Delicious detail' – The TimesBoris Johnson was touted as the saviour of the country and the Conservative Party, obtaining a huge commons majority and finally 'getting Brexit done'. But, within three short years, he was deposed in disgrace and left the country in crisis.Sebastian Payne tells the essential behind-the-scenes story, charting the series of scandals that felled Johnson: from the blocked suspension of Owen Paterson, through partygate and the final death blow: the Chris Pincher allegations. This is the full narrative of the betrayals, rivalries and resignations that resulted in the dramatic Conservative coup – and set in motion those events that saw the party sink to catastrophic new lows.With unparalleled access to those who were in the room when key decisions were made, Payne tells of the miscalculations and mistakes that led to Boris Johnson’s downfall. This is a gripping and timely look at how power is gained, wielded and lost in Britain today.'Genuinely page-turning' – Andrew Marr'Entertaining and illuminating' – Tim Shipman

The Fall of Boris Johnson is the explosive inside account of how a prime minister lost his hold on power. From Sebastian Payne, former Whitehall Editor for the Financial Times and author of Broken Heartlands.Winner of the Parlimentary Book AwardsA New Statesman, The Times, Daily Mail and FT Book of the Year'Revelatory' – The Daily Telegraph'Delicious detail' – The TimesBoris Johnson was touted as the saviour of the country and the Conservative Party, obtaining a huge commons majority and finally 'getting Brexit done'. But, within three short years, he was deposed in disgrace and left the country in crisis.Sebastian Payne tells the essential behind-the-scenes story, charting the series of scandals that felled Johnson: from the blocked suspension of Owen Paterson, through partygate and the final death blow: the Chris Pincher allegations. This is the full narrative of the betrayals, rivalries and resignations that resulted in the dramatic Conservative coup – and set in motion those events that saw the party sink to catastrophic new lows.With unparalleled access to those who were in the room when key decisions were made, Payne tells of the miscalculations and mistakes that led to Boris Johnson’s downfall. This is a gripping and timely look at how power is gained, wielded and lost in Britain today.'Genuinely page-turning' – Andrew Marr'Entertaining and illuminating' – Tim Shipman

The Fall of Boris Johnson is the fascinating full account of how the prime minister lost his grip on power. Sebastian Payne, Whitehall Editor for the Financial Times, tells the essential behind-the-scenes story, charting the series of scandals that felled Johnson: from the blocked suspension of Owen Paterson to Partygate, and, finally, the Chris Pincher allegations, which were the final death blow. This is the full narrative of the betrayals, rivalries and resignations that led to the dramatic Conservative coup.With unparalleled access to those who were in the room when key decisions were made, Payne tells of the miscalculations and mistakes that led to Boris’s downfall, only two years after he first entered No.10 Downing Street. This is a gripping and timely look at how power is gained, wielded and lost in Britain today.

Broken Heartlands is an essential and compelling political road-trip through ten constituencies that tell the story of Labour’s red wall, by Sebastian Payne – an award-winning journalist and Whitehall Editor for the Financial Times.The Times Political Book of the YearA Daily Telegraph, Guardian, Daily Mail and FT Book of the Year'Immensely readable' - ObserverHistorically, the red wall formed the backbone of Labour’s vote in the Midlands and the North of England but, during the 2019 general election, it dramatically turned Conservative for the first time in living memory, redrawing the electoral map in the process.Originally from the North East himself, Payne sets out to uncover the real story behind the red wall and what turned these seats blue. Beginning in Blyth Valley in the North East and ending in Burnley, with visits to constituencies across the Midlands and Yorkshire along the way, Payne gets to the heart of a key political story of our time that will have ramifications for years to come.While Brexit and the unpopularity of opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn are factors, there is a more nuanced story explored in Broken Heartlands – of how these northern communities have fared through generational shifts, struggling public services, de-industrialization and the changing nature of work. Featuring interviews with local people, plus major political figures from both parties – including Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer – Payne explores the significant role these social and economic forces, decades in the making, have played in this fundamental upheaval of the British political landscape.'Impressive and entertaining' - Sunday Times'A must-read for anyone who wants to understand England today' - Robert Peston

Broken Heartlands is an essential and compelling political road-trip through ten constituencies that tell the story of Labour’s red wall from Sebastian Payne – an award-winning journalist and Whitehall Editor for the Financial Times.The Times Political Book of the YearA Daily Telegraph, Guardian, Daily Mail and FT Book of the Year'Immensely readable' - ObserverHistorically, the red wall formed the backbone of Labour’s vote in the Midlands and the North of England but, during the 2019 general election, it dramatically turned Conservative for the first time in living memory, redrawing the electoral map in the process.Originally from the North East himself, Payne sets out to uncover the real story behind the red wall and what turned these seats blue. Beginning in Blyth Valley in the North East and ending in Burnley, with visits to constituencies across the Midlands and Yorkshire along the way, Payne gets to the heart of a key political story of our time that will have ramifications for years to come.While Brexit and the unpopularity of former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn were factors, there is a more nuanced story explored in Broken Heartlands – of how these northern communities fared through generational shifts, struggling public services, de-industrialization and the changing nature of work.Featuring interviews with local people, plus major political figures from both parties – including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer – Payne explores the significant role these social and economic forces, decades in the making, played in this fundamental upheaval of the British political landscape.'Impressive and entertaining' - Sunday Times'A must-read for anyone who wants to understand England today' - Robert Peston