As the party that championed trade union rights, the creation of the NHS and the establishment of a national minimum wage, Labour has played a crucial role in the shaping of British society. And yet the leaders who have stood at its helm - from Keir Hardie to Sir Keir Starmer, via Clement Attlee, Tony Blair and Jeremy Corbyn - have steered the party vessel with enormously varying degrees of success.

The requirements, techniques and goals of the Labour leadership since the party's inception at the turn of the twentieth century have been forced to evolve almost beyond recognition - and not all its leaders have managed to keep up.

This comprehensive and enlightening book - now fully updated with chapters on all Labour leaders up to Keir Starmer and an assessment of the party's leadership in relation to Brexit - considers the attributes and achievements of each leader in the context of their respective time and diplomatic landscape. Offering a compelling analytical framework by which they may be judged, it also provides detailed personal biographies from some of the country's foremost political critics and exclusive interviews with former leaders themselves.

An indispensable contribution to the study of party leadership, British Labour Leaders is the essential guide to understanding British political history and governance.

About the Author

Charles Clarke was Member of Parliament for Norwich South from 1997 to 2010. He served as a minister in the Department for Education and then the Home Office before joining the Cabinet as Minister Without Portfolio and Labour Party chair. From 2002 to 2004 he was Secretary of State for Education and Skills and then Home Secretary until 2006. Charles now holds visiting professorships at Lancaster University and King's College London and co-leads the Baltic Geopolitics Programme at Cambridge University.

Toby S. James is professor of politics and public policy at the University of East Anglia and visiting professor at the London School of Economics. He has written widely on democracy, electoral integrity and political leadership. His books include The Trump Administration: The President's Legacy Within and Beyond America.

Reviews

"This book is an invaluable guide to the qualities and vulnerabilities of previous leaders. Anyone interested in the dynamics of political leadership, and how it is exercised in a party that was created to challenge the very notion of deference, should read this important and absorbing book." Alan Johnson, former Labour Cabinet minister and author of Harold Wilson: Twentieth Century Man

"High-class biography and timely analysis reveal the essence of a successful and flawed Labour Party leader." Patrick Wintour, diplomatic editor at The Guardian

"The essays in this book shine a sharp light on the nature and history of political leadership in the Labour Party and on how each leader has coped with the specific challenges facing them. This is an excellent, authoritative volume that can be warmly recommended for everyone with an interest in British politics." Andrew Gamble, emeritus professor of politics at the University of Sheffield

Book Information
ISBN 9781785909504
Author Charles Clarke
Format Hardback
Page Count 512
Imprint Biteback Publishing
Publisher Biteback Publishing