Politics UK provides a solid foundation on the key concepts and themes of British politics for undergraduate students at an American university. My students often begin their course with a cursory knowledge of British politics and thus I need a textbook that immerses them without overwhelming them— and Politics UK delivers exactly that. The material within each chapter of this edited volume provides the most substantial overview of British politics available while remaining accessible to students new to the subject. Of particular note are the inclusion of numerous charts, tables, figures and photographs that let my students 'see' British politics. In terms of comprehensive coverage, appropriate level of writing, helpful supplemental material and timely coverage of contemporary events, there is no better textbook on the market." With chapters written by highly respected scholars in the field and contemporary articles on real-world politics from well-known political commentators, this textbook is an essential guide for all students of British politics. Philip Norton (Lord Norton of Louth) is Professor of Government at the University of Hull. When he was appointed in 1986, he was the youngest professor of politics in the country. He was also appointed Director of the University’s Centre for Legislative Studies in 1992. He is the editor of The Journal of Legislative Studies and chair of the Higher Education Commission. He is the author or editor of 32 books. He was elevated to the peerage in 1998. He chaired the Commission to Strengthen Commission, which reported in 2000, and was the first Chairman of the House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution. He has been described by the House Magazine – the journal of the two Houses of Parliament – as ‘our greatest living expert on Parliament’.

This edition welcomes three brand new chapters - 'Elites in the United Kingdom', 'Gender and British politics' and 'UK Immigration policy in hostile environment' - alongside rigorously updated revised chapters. It delivers excellent coverage of contemporary events, with significant new material covering: the Johnson premiership and the national challenge of Covid-19, the end of the May premiership and the implementation of Brexit, the Labour Party's transition from Corbyn to Starmer, infrastructure and innovation, 'fake news', populism and nationalism, the UK's place in a post-Brexit world, climate change, social mobility and elite recruitment, devolution and regionalism, constitutional strain, the role of political advisers, abuse and incivility in politics and much more.This edition welcomesthree brand new chapters - ‘Elites in the United Kingdom’, 'Gender and British politics' and'UK Immigration policy in hostile environment' - alongside rigorously updated revised chapters. It delivers excellent coverage of contemporary events, with significant new material covering: the Johnson premiership and the national challenge of Covid-19, the end of the May premiership and the implementation of Brexit, the Labour Party’s transition from Corbyn to Starmer, infrastructure and innovation, 'fake news', populism and nationalism, the UK’s place in a post-Brexit world, climate change, social mobility and elite recruitment, devolution and regionalism, constitutional strain, the role of political advisers, abuse and incivility in politics and much more. Prime Minister Tony Blair with Chancellor Gordon Brown in April 2001. Photograph: Sean Dempsey/PA The End of the Party by Andrew Rawnsley (2010) It’s that eye for a deal that makes Always Red (OR), McCluskey’s own juicy, take-no-prisoners memoir, so riveting. The former Unite leader has a reasonable claim to be the architect of Corbynism, having supported the rule changes under Ed Miliband that later helped the left break through in a leadership election, and then supplied funding, staff and strategic nous to an inexperienced Corbyn operation. The book is slippery on the intertwined nature of his private and political lives (Jennie Formby, the mother of one of his four children, ended up as Labour’s general secretary, while his partner Karie Murphy became Corbyn’s chief of staff) and arguably on antisemitism within Labour. But the final chapter on how unions can best exert leverage should be required reading for anyone in politics (or business).

And another thing . . . pieces containing short articles written by distinguished commentators including Mark Garnett, Sir David Omand, Richard Wilkinson and Sir Simon Jenkins Another book that inspires hope – albeit cautiously – is Anand Giridharadas’s The Persuaders: Winning Hearts and Minds in a Divided Age (Allen Lane). Giridharadas challenges the idea that there is an unbridgeable divide in the US on subjects such as race and politics. Instead, he looks at stories of how activists and politicians have tried to reach out to people who don’t immediately agree with them, rather than writing them off (he avoids the contentious term “cancel culture”). There are no easy answers, and Giridharadas is frank about the varying degrees of success in his case studies. This is not an instruction manual but a thoughtful exploration of the possibilities and limits of communication and change. A wide range of illustrative material, boxes and case studies providing illuminating examples alongside the analysis.There is plenty to fear in our political future, yet there are also signs of hope. For a dose of both, try Maria Ressa’s How to Stand Up to a Dictator (WH Allen). Ressa, the Filipino journalist who won the Nobel peace prize in 2021 for her reporting in the face of harassment from Rodrigo Duterte’s regime, has written an energetic book that is part memoir, part modern history of the Philippines and part call to arms. “It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” Ressa warns; even so, her clarity of purpose and courage are profoundly inspiring.

Britain in context boxes offering contrasting international perspectives on key themes in British politics The most authoritative and detailed account of the tempestuous relationship between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, starting in 2001 and ending in the run-up to the 2010 election. The reader is shown the first-hand responses of Blair, Brown and their inner circles to major historical events, like 9/11, the Iraq war and the death of David Kelly. While electoral defeat for Brown was already on the cards by early 2010, this book exposed damaging revelations about bullying inside No 10 which hung over his campaign. Seven years on, with Jeremy Corbyn consolidating his grip on the Labour party, it now also reads as an obituary for New Labour. After the Coalition: A Conservative Agenda for Britain by Kwasi Kwarteng, Priti Patel, Dominic Raab, Chris Skidmore, Liz Truss (2011) Barely a year into the coalition government, a group of newly elected Conservative MPs set out an agenda for the “new right” (as distinct from the alt right), which sought to break away from Cameronism and bring economic liberalism and Euroscepticism up to date: arguing for free schools to be able to make a profit, tax cuts and a greater role for the private sector in the NHS. The book was viewed by David Cameron’s circle at the time as the work of ambitious upstarts, but read today it is a foreshadowing of how the Conservative party has shifted right and embraced Brexit.pieces containing short articles on salient and pressing topics, written by distinguished commentators including Sir John Curtice, Sir Simon Jenkins, Andrew Rawnsley, Baroness Julie Smith of Newnham, and Philip Collins.