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The Right to Rule

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Audiobook Downloadable / ISBN-13: 9781399810333

Price: £24.99

ON SALE: 28th September 2023

Genre: Society & Social Sciences / Politics & Government / Political Parties

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The explosive full story of the past dozen years of Tory rule.

The Right to Rule is the full story of what has just happened in British politics, and how it has shaped Westminster and, by extension, the nation. Over the last decade, we have seen five different Conservative Prime Ministers, with five different missions and messages to the nation. Not for two centuries has such political turnover been seen. From the ashes of a financial crisis, to a break from the UK’s biggest trading block, to a global pandemic, governments – and ideologies – have changed, but the Conservative party’s power has remained. Through his unique access and brilliant insights, Ben Riley-Smith captures the big picture: how the Tories kept changing, kept revolting – and kept winning.

Witty, hair-raising and brilliantly sourced, this single account will link as never before stories of the Coalition, the Referendum, the travails of May, the chaos of the pandemic, the sagas of Johnson, the Truss implosion and the Sunak patch-job. This riveting account show how ruthless reinvention has allowed them to cling to power so successfully, and yet may ultimately bring about their downfall. It is the essential, entertaining and explosive account for anyone wondering how Britain got into this state.

(P) 2023 Hodder & Stoughton Limited

Reviews

A brilliant encapsulation of thirteen years
Andrew Marr
Essential
Jon Sopel
A grippingly-written, detailed book that answers so many questions
Isabel Hardman
Insightful, authoritative and incredibly readable. It had me open-mouthed with amazement
Ed Balls
Superb
Evan Davis
Marvellous . . . Packed with insight, gossip and candid reflections from the major players
Stephen Bush
Expertly explains how a governing party mainly skilled in backstabbing survived in power
Michael Portillo
A wonderfully written canter through an extraordinary decade and a bit. Highly recommended
Chris Mason
Future historians will take Ben Riley-Smith's lucid and riveting book as their guide
Alan Johnson
Colourful and richly researched
Rafael Behr
Riley-Smith is an excellent, pithy writer with a knack for a telling phrase
Daily Telegraph
A sharp insider account of the long Tory reign
New Statesman
Terrific. Not all political books are page-turners. This really is. It will be a while before it's bettered. It is really excellent
Matthew d'Ancona
Filled with chaos, rebellion, infighting, backbiting and catastrophe and much more. Interesting . . . a cracking read
Financial Times, 'Readers' Best Books of 2023'
Future historians will refer to this study in cynicism and clever reinvention
Daily Telegraph, 50 Best Books of 2023
Riley-Smith is an excellent, pithy writer with a knack for a telling phrase . . . it will remain among the best books written about the chaos and carnage of the last 13 years
Daily Telegraph
A majestic digested read of the last 13 years of Tory leadership, drawing together the threads of fou
Guardian, Best Politics Books of the Year