The Prime Ministers – serie

‘The finest prose stylist in the House of Commons since Roy Jenkins’ Mark LawsonWINNER OF A WESTMINSTER BOOK AWARDHarold Wilson was one of the most successful politicians of the twentieth century. Prime Minister from 1964-70, and again from 1974-76, he won four elections as well as a referendum on UK membership of the European Community. The achievements of the Wilson Era – from legalising homosexuality to protecting ethnic minorities, from women’s rights to the Open University – radically improved ordinary people’s lives for the better.In Harold Wilson, former Labour cabinet minister and bestselling author Alan Johnson presents a portrait of a truly twentieth-century man, whose ‘white heat’ speech proclaimed a scientific and technological revolution – and who was as much a part of the sixties as the Beatles and the Profumo scandal.

‘The finest prose stylist in the House of Commons since Roy Jenkins’ Mark LawsonWINNER OF A WESTMINSTER BOOK AWARDHarold Wilson was one of the most successful politicians of the twentieth century. Prime Minister from 1964-70, and again from 1974-76, he won four elections as well as a referendum on UK membership of the European Community. The achievements of the Wilson Era – from legalising homosexuality to protecting ethnic minorities, from women’s rights to the Open University – radically improved ordinary people’s lives for the better.In Harold Wilson, former Labour cabinet minister and bestselling author Alan Johnson presents a portrait of a truly twentieth-century man, whose ‘white heat’ speech proclaimed a scientific and technological revolution – and who was as much a part of the sixties as the Beatles and the Profumo scandal.

‘An excellent summation of the life and times of Winston Churchill’ Andrew Roberts'Caddick-Adams understands the two world wars, and his subject's role in them, superbly' Simon Heffer, New Statesman'A witty and enjoyable political biography of Winston Churchill ... Brilliantly done' The PastIn Winston Churchill, veteran historian Peter Caddick-Adams gives us an overview of Churchill’s life, from his early days as a soldier and part-time journalist through to the Second World War and beyond.Caddick-Adams argues that the recipe for Churchill’s success during his wartime premiership of 1940-45 can be found in the First World War. The nation, and its leaders, had undergone a ‘dress rehearsal’ in 1914-18: conscription, rationing, convoys, air raids, mass production, women’s uniformed services, coalitions and war cabinets had all happened before, and Churchill had been there when they did. This experience, combined with Churchill’s extraordinary abilities (along with some foibles), were what enabled Britain to survive.READER REVIEWS‘A fantastic brief biography of Churchill, incredibly well written, researched and presented’‘An excellent introduction to Churchill's life’‘Caddick-Adams presents a rich and insightful portrait of one of history’s most iconic figures, making this a must-read for anyone interested in Churchill’s legacy’‘Nimbly covers the extent of his remarkable life, providing marvellous detail’

‘An excellent summation of the life and times of Winston Churchill’ Andrew Roberts'Caddick-Adams understands the two world wars, and his subject's role in them, superbly' Simon Heffer, New Statesman'A witty and enjoyable political biography of Winston Churchill ... Brilliantly done' The PastIn Winston Churchill, veteran historian Peter Caddick-Adams gives us an overview of Churchill’s life, from his early days as a soldier and part-time journalist through to the Second World War and beyond.Caddick-Adams argues that the recipe for Churchill’s success during his wartime premiership of 1940-45 can be found in the First World War. The nation, and its leaders, had undergone a ‘dress rehearsal’ in 1914-18: conscription, rationing, convoys, air raids, mass production, women’s uniformed services, coalitions and war cabinets had all happened before, and Churchill had been there when they did. This experience, combined with Churchill’s extraordinary abilities (along with some foibles), were what enabled Britain to survive.READER REVIEWS‘A fantastic brief biography of Churchill, incredibly well written, researched and presented’‘An excellent introduction to Churchill's life’‘Caddick-Adams presents a rich and insightful portrait of one of history’s most iconic figures, making this a must-read for anyone interested in Churchill’s legacy’‘Nimbly covers the extent of his remarkable life, providing marvellous detail’

'A compelling account of a compulsory subject ... A masterpiece of compression and readability' Daniel Finkelstein'A deft, clear-eyed summary of Thatcher's life' Rory Stewart'Iain Dale introduces Margaret Thatcher to a new generation and intelligently explodes some of the myths about her' Simon HefferMargaret Thatcher was a woman of tremendous paradoxes: a conviction politician who was also a pragmatist; someone who delighted in her tough reputation, yet could also be emotional, and even tearful, when confronted by personal or national tragedy. Her reputation as a cabinet leader was one of being quasi-dictatorial, yet she left her ministers to get on with their jobs – far more than any of her successors ever have. She was known as a classical laissez faire liberal, yet she started out as a social conservative, and wasn’t averse to state intervention when she felt it was warranted.Iain Dale’s sparkling short biography of Margaret Thatcher brings her to life in all her paradoxes and contradictions, and shows how her election in 1979 really was a turning point in British history. Dubbed the ‘Iron Lady’ by the Soviets, she was one of the few recent prime ministers to burnish an international reputation, fighting the Falklands war, playing a leading role in defeating Communism and winning the Cold War, and through her battles with the European Economic Community. Domestically, she ushered in a period of forty years of consensus on the limited role of the state, an industrial relations settlement and the dominance of the private sector in the economy – a settlement that is only now being seriously questioned.A little over a decade after her death, Margaret Thatcher introduces her to new generations of readers who may not remember her premiership, but who are living with its consequences.

'One of the shrewdest political commentators we have' Andrew Marr‘Tony Blair was a giant amongst prime ministers and leaders of the Labour party: Steve Richards is a giant amongst political commentators. This riveting and persuasive book describes what happens when they meet head on’ Anthony SeldonWas Tony Blair a visionary, impatiently looking ahead, or a leader trapped by his past – Labour’s vote-losing 1980s and the dominance of Margaret Thatcher? Was the party’s move to the right under Blair necessary in order for them to win, or could they, after 18 years of Tory rule, have afforded to be more daring and more left wing than their leader wished to recognise?In Steve Richards’s short, provocative and highly engaging new biography, he argues that Blair was often the opposite of what we remember him being: perceived as a ‘moderniser’, he sought to strengthen the traditional institutions that partly define the UK, from the monarchy to the military; while to Margaret Thatcher’s public appreciation he cemented her economic legacy rather than moved on from it. And, while he was viewed as messianic over Iraq, he was, in fact, being characteristically expedient, clinging to the orthodoxy in which the UK stands shoulder to shoulder with the US in war.But the UK in 2007 was undoubtedly a different country to the one it had been in 1997: from devolution, which played its part in establishing peace in Northern Ireland, to civil partnerships and a revived NHS, Blair left Britain in a much better place. While his legacy has been overshadowed by the Iraq war, Tony Blair re-establishes a more rounded view of his time in office, and shows that the challenges facing Blair were the ones that still face Labour today.