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With the strong possibility of Labour forming our next government in 2024, it is fascinating to consider the last time the party stood on the verge of power, back in 1997. At that time, future Europe Minister Denis MacShane had a ringside seat that he would occupy for the next decade or so, living through the Cool Britannia years, the Good Friday Agreement, Peter Mandelson's two resignations, Princess Diana's death and Tony Blair's seeming invincibility. New Labour may be remembered as an unstoppable force, but what MacShane's diaries reveal is that whilst all seemed outwardly to be going well, the personal rivalries, slights and petty jealousies of the party's big beasts meant that it was never far from disaster. MacShane was a regular in Downing Street from the moment of Labour's election victory, and his indiscreet, gossipy diaries show figures such as Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, Robin Cook, Peter Mandelson, Clare Short and Alastair Campbell in a light in which they've never before been seen, detailing the personalities as much as the politics of Labour's most successful stint in government.

The must-read political book of the year, Power Trip is the explosive new memoir from one of Westminsters most controversial figures. From 1999 to 2009, Damian McBride worked at the heart of the Treasury and No. 10 as a pivotal member of Gordon Browns inner circle before a notorious scandal propelled him out of Downing Street and onto the front pages. Known by friend and foe as Mad Dog or McPoison, Browns right-hand man demonstrated a ruthless desire to protect and promote New Labours number two, whatever the cost. Laying bare his journey from naive civil servant to disgraced spin-doctor, McBride writes candidly about his experiences at the elbows of Brown, Balls and Miliband, detailing the internecine feuds, political plots and media manipulation that lay at New Labours core. The first genuine insider account of the Brownite camp, Power Trip is an eye-watering expos of British politics and a compelling story of the struggles and scandals that populate the political world.

The Best of Enemies is the political diaries of one of the most significant politicians of the late twentieth century. Covering the Thatcher/Major period - during which time Norman Fowler held prominent positions in the Cabinet and as party chairman - Fowler's diaries observe both Prime Ministers, and their Cabinet colleagues, at close quarters.

This timely and important book focuses on the controversial issue of SLAPP cases - Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation - which are designed to censor, intimidate and silence critics by burdening them with aggressive opposing lawyers, heavy legal costs and enquiry agents until they abandon the case. David Hooper, veteran media lawyer, explores how the power of money enabled the very wealthy to crush their critics and outlines the tactics they used. He examines how billionaire oligarchs, often ex-convicts and linked to organised crime, have tried to launder their reputation in this country by suing for libel, and how they have found lawyers only too happy to pocket their roubles. Hooper describes his experience with some of these oligarchs, including Boris Berezovsky when Hooper needed an armed bodyguard while collecting evidence in Moscow. It was a case where both plaintiffs were ultimately murdered, as was his client, the editor of Forbes Russia. The UK also has its home-grown Slappsters, of whom Nadhim Zahawi and Mohamed Amersi are the most recent examples. They also come from Greece, Sweden, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Malta and the United States. Hooper describes how those with something to hide tried, with varying degrees of success, to stop you knowing about it, and how their lawyers were willing to help them. The well-paid legal profession does not emerge with credit.

For many people, Gary Newbon is the face of British sports broadcasting. This is Newbon's incredible story of his time as one of the UK's most popular and versatile sports presenters, which included fifty years of TV sports presenting, first with ITV and then with Sky Sports.

Torrid Times is the terrifyingly funny new collection of cartoons by The Times's master satirist, Peter Brookes.

In this characteristically nuanced and calmly objective study, the witty literary critic guides us through the increasingly rocky terrain of triggering. His advice rings clear: literature matters, to us and what we make of our world, and it must be handled with critical care.

Books have been published chronicling all of the UK's Prime Ministers. But what about those who failed to make it? In this often wildly entertaining anthology, Nigel Fletcher brings together key details of each failed opposition leader from Charles James Fox in 1783 to the modern day.

"e;This book should be read by every police officer, every politician and everybody who cares about law and order in this country."e; - Peter Oborne"e;The police are there to look after us. But someone has to look closely at the police - and Tom Harper has done just that in this comprehensive overview. Some of it makes for difficult reading, for much has gone wrong in policing over recent years. But the book is also constructive and never loses sight of the importance of the role the police have in any well-functioning democracy."e; - Alan Rusbridger"e;Meticulous and passionate. Tom Harper has written the most authoritative critique of British policing in years."e; - Lord Macdonald QC, former Director of Public Prosecutions***A searing account of corruption, racism and mismanagement inside Britain's most famous police forceBarely a week goes by without the Metropolitan Police Service being plunged into a new crisis. Demoralised and depleted in numbers, Scotland Yard is a shadow of its former self.Spanning the three decades from the infamous Stephen Lawrence case to the shocking murder of Sarah Everard, Broken Yard charts the Met's fall from a position of unparalleled power to the troubled and discredited organisation we see today, barely trusted by its Westminster masters and struggling to perform its most basic function: the protection of the public.The result is a devastating picture of a world-famous police force riven with corruption, misogyny and rank incompetence.As a top investigative reporter at the Sunday Times and The Independent, Tom Harper covered Scotland Yard for fifteen years, beginning not long after the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, an innocent Brazilian killed by Met Police officers after being mistaken for a terror suspect in 2005. Since then, reporting on Scotland Yard has been akin to witnessing a slow-motion car crash.Using thousands of intelligence files, witness statements and court transcripts provided by police sources, as well as first-hand testimony, Harper explains how London's world-famous police force got itself into this sorry mess - and how it might get itself out of it.

The speed of Rishi Sunak's advance to 10 Downing Street is without precedent in modern British politics. Casting new light on Sunak's tense working relationship with his predecessor, Boris Johnson, All to Play For shows what makes the Prime Minister tick ahead of a general election whose outcome will have profound consequences for Britain's future.

Thewelcome given to refugees from fascist Europe is part of Britain's fondnostalgia for the Second World War. But there was a darker side to this story, both before and during the conflict. Then, as now, there was great suspicion, resentment and fear - much of it kindled by Britain's infamous tabloid press.Then, as now, government dealt with a reluctance to accommodate refugees byhiding behind bureaucratic hurdles. In the 1930s, Oswald Mosley's Blackshirts were a significant presence in British politics andsupport for Hitler went right to the top. In 1940, shortly before the Blitz, the recently abdicated Edward VIII even told a Spanish journalist that Britainought to be bombed to bring it to its senses and stop it opposing the Nazis. Many of the10,000 Kindertransport children have warm memories of the kindnessthey were shown, but around half a million anti-fascist and Jewish refugeeswere refused entry and most of them died as a result. Once here, German Jews, especially, found their troubles far from over - 30,000 were rounded up andplaced in internment camps. One passenger ship, the Dunera, waspacked with an unhappy combination of German Jews and pro-Nazi sympathisers anddespatched to Australia. Making use ofin-depth research and first-hand interviews, Paul Dowswell casts a fresh eye onthe wartime era to paint a picture of what life was really like in Britain forrefugees from fascism.

We Were Blackwater provides a unique, revelatory insight into this high-octane, life-and-death world, where adventurers and wannabes can thrive or die, living out their dreams and their fantasies with fearsome firepower and few, if any, rules.

In this rousing polemic, David Skelton explores the roots and reality of this new snobbery, calling for an end to the divisive culture war and the creation of a new politics of the common good, empowering workers, remaking the economy and placing communities centre stage.

"e;This is a great account of the life and career of a man I respect immensely. A fascinating read."e; - Ian Wright"e;A searingly honest account of a fascinating football story. Nedum tells it like he played, with nothing left out."e; - Guy Mowbray, Match of the Day"e;A frank, thought-provoking and compelling insight into one of football's most articulate voices."e; - Rory Smith, New York Times chief soccer correspondent***'My identity is built on conflicts, and I'm proud of who I am I can walk through the rest of my life with something to say.'Nedum Onuoha was not a typical footballer. A young black Mancunian picked by the Manchester City Academy aged ten, he was determined to continue his education despite the lure of a career under the floodlights. Fiercely intelligent on and off the pitch, Onuoha developed into a talented defender and played his part in City's meteoric rise. He was at the Etihad Stadium when they won their first Premier League title - as an opposition player for QPR, having left the Blues just four months earlier.In this characteristically forthright book, Onuoha reveals what goes on behind the scenes at top-tier clubs. Stuffed with insights into household names like Stuart Pearce, Sven-Gran Eriksson, Roberto Mancini and Harry Redknapp, this is football and its most famous figures as you've never seen them before.Kicking Back is also the story of one man's search for identity: as a footballer, as a black man in England and as an outsider in the US during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. What is it like to receive horrific racist abuse while doing your job? And how has football utterly failed the black community? Onuoha provides a damning assessment of the sport's authorities, finally claiming his voice as he dives deep into a life spent on the pitch.

During the course of the 1950s England lost confidence in its rulers and convinced itself it must modernise. The bankrupt, steam-powered railway, run by a Colonel Blimp, symbolised everything that was wrong with the country; the future lay in motorways and high-speed electric - or even atomic - express trains. But plans for a gleaming new railway system ended in failure and on the roads traffic ground to a halt. Along came Dr Beeching, forensically analysing the railways' problems and expertly delivering his diagnosis: a third of the nation's railways must go. Local services were destroyed, rural England sacrificed for tarmac and wheel - at least that is how Dr Beeching is remembered today. Last Trains examines why and how the railway system contracted, exposing the political failures that bankrupted the railways and scrutinising the attempts of officials to understand a transport revolution beyond their control. It is a story of the increasing alienation of bureaucrats from the public they thought they were serving, but also of a nation struggling to come to terms with modernity.

During a long career in journalism, Andy McSmith encountered Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in a Siberian town called Bratsk; dined with Sir Edward Heath in his home in Salisbury; was mugged in the street while visiting Moscow with John Major; and knew Boris Johnson as a colleague with an ambition to be something more than just a journalist.

No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason will offer a fascinating overview of the nature of crime reporting and how it has changed over the past thirty-five years or so. Lively and insightful, this is a wonderful blend of storytelling and analysis.

Sex, Spies and Scandal is the story of John Vassall, a civil servant who was unmasked as a Soviet spy in 1962. With access to newly released MI5 files and interviews with people who knew Vassall from the 1950s until his death in 1996, this book sheds new light on the neglected spy scandal of the early 1960s.

"e;Fabulously entertaining, Alex Deane's wry, witty stories take hidden gems from our shared history and polish them until they shine. A must-read."e; - Iain Dale "e;Ribald, riotous and sometimes surreal, Alex Deane's dispatches from the forgotten corners of history bring heroes and villains roaring vividly and often poignantly back to life."e; - Gavin Esler "e;Alex Deane's tongue-in-cheek tales of eccentricity and endeavour not only shed light on the obscurest parts of history; they teach us things we never knew about the present."e; - Suella Braverman, Home Secretary "e;More rollicking tales of fascinating figures who should not be lost to history - told with Alex Deane's warm empathy, shrewd insight and glistening wit."e; - Lord Parkinson, former special adviser to Prime Minister Theresa May *** Welcome to another round of history's most absurd stories and the timeless lessons that come with them. In More Lessons from History, Alex Deane has unearthed yet more bizarre tales that you certainly haven't heard before. If you're wondering how large, flightless birds might organise themselves against a military regiment, how you should respond to the glare of an international rugby player whose glass eye you just knocked out, exactly why carrots are orange, or whether the world's worst-run battleship ever ceased firing upon her comrades-in-arms, then look no further. In this second volume of his acclaimed series, Alex Deane reminds us that, throughout history, human nature has remained exactly the same, and the way that people responded to the most amusing, horrifying and convoluted of circumstances in the past can teach us everything we need to know about who we are today. For even more lessons from history, check out Alex Deane'sHidden History Happy Hourpodcast on Spotify, Google and Apple.

"e;A spellbinding serial voyage in which encounters with islands across time are gathered, displayed and reburnished. Memoir becomes morality, as the oldest human myths challenge present neglect and political malfunction."e; - Iain Sinclair"e;Illuminating, incisive and beautifully written."e; - Kirsty Young"e;From ancient Crete to modern Canvey, this is a fascinating voyage around island identity, exploring isolation and imagination through a wealth of stories from around the world."e; - Martha Kearney"e;A timely and original exploration of the liminalities of islands and the waters that envelop them: by turns beguiling, enchanting and ultimately affirming."e; - Sir Anthony Seldon"e;This is a huge theme which Mark Easton pursues with vigorous and beautifully clear prose. His archipelagic fascination is contagious. Read this and the maps in your mind will never be quite the same again."e; - Peter Hennessy***No man is an island, wrote John Donne. BBC Home Editor Mark Easton argues the opposite: that we are all islands, and it is upon the contradictory shoreline where isolation meets connectedness, where 'us' meets 'them', that we find out who we truly are.Suggesting that a continental bias has blinded us, Easton chronicles a sweep of 250 million years of island history: from Pangaea (the supercontinent mother of all islands) to the first intrepid islanders pointing their canoes over the horizon, from exploration to occupation, exploitation to liberation, a hopeful journey to paradise and a chastening reminder of our planet's fragility.But that is only half of this mesmerising book: aided by the muse he names Pangaea, Easton also interweaves reflections on what he calls 'the psychological islands that form the great archipelago of humankind'. Taking readers on an enchanting adventure, he illustrates how understanding islands and island syndrome might help humanity get closer to the truth about itself.Brave, intelligent and haunting, Islands is a deep dive into geography, myth, literature, politics and philosophy that reveals nothing less than a map of the human heart.

"e;We don't yet know where the current battle is headed. But Puri's 'first cut' will help us greatly in fathoming how we got here."e; - Patrick Porter, Professor of International Security, University of Birmingham***When Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022, many in the West were left stunned at his act of brutal imperialism. To those who had been paying attention, however, the warning signs of the bloodshed and slaughter to come had been there for years.Tracing the relationship between the two countries from the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 to Putin's invasion in 2022, what emerges from this gripping and accessible book is a portrait of a nation caught in a geopolitical tug of war between Russia and the West. While Russia is identified as the sole aggressor, we see how Western bodies such as the EU and NATO unrealistically raised Ukraine's expectations of membership before dashing them, leaving Ukraine without formal allies and fatally exposed to Russian aggression.As a former international observer, Samir Puri was present for several of the major events covered in this book. He uses this experience to ask honestly: how did we get here? Why does Vladimir Putin view Ukraine as the natural property of Russia? Did the West handle its dealings with these countries prudently? Or did it inflame the tensions left amidst the ruins of the Soviet Union? Were there any missed opportunities to avert the war? And how might this conflict end?

"e;Anyone who cares about education - and especially those in charge of it - should read this brilliant book."e; - Iain Dale***An unputdownable true account of how a tenacious head teacher led one of the most challenging schools in the country to excellence.No Excuses charts an extraordinary principal's journey in diary form from the moment she took over at a failing secondary school in a deprived area of the country, where less than a quarter of children attained five or more A*-C GCSEs, and how she set about the gruelling task of transforming its reputation using her zero-tolerance, tough-love approach.Armed only with a wicked sense of humour, fearless energy and a powerful vision, Alison Colwell put in place a stringent set of rules, including a strict uniform policy and a complete ban on mobile phones, provoking resistance and hostility from some parents, the wider community and on social media.This is the darkly funny, moving story of how, together, teachers and their - often troubled - pupils rebuilt a school and community, with an inspirational head at the helm.Charming, touching and full of brilliant leadership advice, this is the diary of the woman the Daily Mail labelled Britain's strictest head teacher.

Marking thirty years since the end of George H. W. Bush's presidency, Robin Renwick paints a warm, affectionate portrait of a President who sought to unify rather than divide his country, and whose staunch belief in diplomacy strengthened cooperation around the world.

For as long as the British monarchy has existed, royal children have been brought up in ways that seem bizarre and eccentric to the rest of us. Interweaving exclusive testimonies from palace staff with historical sources, Tom Quinn also uncovers outrageous tales of royal children misbehaving, often hilariously.

No longer in the tent, but not quite out of it, celebrated diarist Chris Mullin gives his take on the twelve turbulent years since he left Parliament. With his trademark wit and keen eye for the absurd, he recounts events from the fall of New Labour to the death of the Queen.

Should Wales leave the UK? In Independent Nation, Will Hayward brings nuance back to the arena for this crucial national conversation. Impartial, informed and thoroughly entertaining, Independent Nation raises the standard of debate around an issue that will affect us all.