THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Meticulously sourced, merciless and revelatory. It is a closely observed study of power, and how it is gained, used and lost' FINANCIAL TIMESThe unmissable next instalment of Tim Shipman’s #1 bestselling Brexit quartet.To follow his bestselling books All Out War and Fall Out, this book launches off from 2017 to offer an unflinching, unfiltered account of some of the most turbulent years of British politics.In the company of all the key players and with countless never-before-revealed insights, No Way Out traces the unprecedented disasters and triumphs of Theresa May’s tenure. Spun with characteristic wit and wisdom, Shipman tells the story of May’s three great negotiations – first, with her cabinet, then with the EU and finally with parliament – and chronicles her fall in thrilling detail.This is the ultimate insider narrative to three of the most turbulent and impactful years of government, revealing the strategies, gambles, mistakes, mindsets and scandals that have shaped and shaken Britain.As always, political insider and chief political commentator for the Sunday Times Tim Shipman unleashes a slew of insight – and gossip – to reveal the democratic drama as it really happened.'The quantity of work required to tell a complicated, many-sided story in such detail is astonishing. What do we learn? Well, many things of genuine interest to political followers and historians. Is his book worth it? In the end, undoubtedly yes… in an age of short-attention-span social media caricature, this is proper work, the real stuff of understanding. Historians will lean on it heavily. Would-be political leaders of the future will learn from it. It will set the narrative about how Brexit was handled, in a way other journalists can only envy' ANDREW MARR, NEW STATESMANTim Shipman's book 'No Way Out' was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 2024-04-22. Read more

'An unburdening, a witness statement and a thriller all at the same time ... electrifying.'The TimesI have to assume that there is a very real chance that Putin or members of his regime will have me killed some day. If I'm killed, you will know who did it. When my enemies read this book, they will know that you know.A Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller. A true-life thriller by one of Putin's Most Wanted.In November 2009, the young lawyer Sergei Magnitsky was beaten to death by eight police officers in a freezing cell in a Moscow prison. His crime? Testifying against Russian officials who were involved in a conspiracy to steal $230 million of taxes.Red Notice is a searing exposé of the whitewash of this imprisonment and murder. The killing hasn't been investigated. It hasn't been punished. Bill Browder is still campaigning for justice for his late lawyer and friend. This is his explosive journey from the heady world of finance in New York and London in the 1990s, through battles with ruthless oligarchs in turbulent post-Soviet Union Moscow, to the shadowy heart of the Kremlin.With fraud, bribery, corruption and torture exposed at every turn, Red Notice is a shocking political roller-coaster.__________________Reads like a classic thriller, with an everyman hero alone and in danger in a hostile foreign city ... but it's all true, and it's a story that needs to be told.'Lee Child'A shocking true-life thriller.' Tom Stoppard'A riveting account... it is a powerful story and Browder tells it skilfully.' The Washington Post Read more

A look into the covert influence billionaires wield in American politics and the actions citizens can take to hold them more accountable.In 2016, when millions of Americans voted for Donald Trump, many believed his claims that personal wealth would free him from wealthy donors and allow him to “drain the swamp.” But then Trump appointed several billionaires and multimillionaires to high-level positions and pursued billionaire-friendly policies, such as cutting corporate income taxes. Why the change from his fiery campaign rhetoric and promises to the working class? This should not be surprising, argue Benjamin I. Page, Jason Seawright, and Matthew J. Lacombe: As the gap between the wealthiest and the rest of us has widened, the few who hold one billion dollars or more in net worth have begun to play a more and more active part in politics—with serious consequences for democracy in the United States.Page, Seawright, and Lacombe argue that while political contributions offer a window onto billionaires’ influence, especially on economic policy, they do not present a full picture of policy preferences and political actions. That is because on some of the most important issues, including taxation, immigration, and Social Security, billionaires have chosen to engage in “stealth politics.” They try hard to influence public policy, making large contributions to political parties and policy-focused causes, leading policy-advocacy organizations, holding political fundraisers, and bundling others’ contributions—all while rarely talking about public policy to the media. This means that their influence is not only unequal but also largely unaccountable to and unchallengeable by the American people. Stealth politics makes it difficult for ordinary citizens to know what billionaires are doing or mobilize against it. The book closes with remedies citizens can pursue if they wish to make wealthy Americans more politically accountable, such as public financing of political campaigns and easier voting procedures, and notes the broader types of reforms, such as a more progressive income tax system, that would be needed to increase political equality and reinvigorate majoritarian democracy in the United States.Praise for Billionaires and Stealth Politics“Incredibly important. The authors provide—for the first time—a clear sense of the politics and political activity of the top one hundred billionaires in America, matching what billionaires have said with what they’ve done and showing the troubling transparency gap that is critical to the evolution of policy. Billionaires and Stealth Politics is a key addition to understanding our current political reality, focused on it most significant lever.” —Lawrence Lessig, author of America, Compromised“The wealth held by American billionaires exceeds the Gross Domestic Product of dozens of countries. They exercise tremendous influence over society, the economy, and politics. Yet their impact is not well-understood. Page, Seawright, and Lacombe have given us a compelling and original piece of work on an important topic.” —Darrell M. West, Brookings Institution Read more

Book 4 in the New York Times bestselling series - perfect for curious readers! 'This book reminded me of some of the children’s books I grew up with, like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Phantom Tollbooth.' RICK RIORDAN, author of the PERCY JACKSON series on book 1 'Like the Potter books, this story goes beyond mere adventure' BOOKLIST on book 1After starring in three adventures, the inimitable quartet of Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance haven't had a mission together in some time. But with the arrival of a new Society member – and a new threat – they must reunite to face dilemmas more dangerous than ever before. Including the return of the villainous Mr Curtain and his Ten Men, and a formidable enemy with a mystifying ability to track their every move ...  Book 4 in the New York Times bestselling adventure series – ideal for children aged 10 and up Join a group of smart and resourceful junior sleuths as they solve a series of page-turning puzzles and mysteries Perfect for fans of Robin Stevens's MURDER MOST UNLADYLIKE series Want to know how it all began? Check out the prequel to the series, THE EXTRAORDINARY EDUCATION OF NICHOLAS BENEDICT Read more

'A gripping work, and a gripping translation' Nicholas Lezard, GuardianNiccolò Machiavelli's brutally uncompromising manual of statecraft, The Prince is translated and edited with an introduction by Tim Parks in Penguin Classics As a diplomat in turbulent fifteenth-century Florence, Niccolò Machiavelli knew how quickly political fortunes could rise and fall. The Prince, his tough-minded, pragmatic handbook on how power really works, made his name notorious and has remained controversial ever since. How can a leader be strong and decisive, yet still inspire loyalty in his followers? When is it necessary to break the rules? Is it better to be feared than loved? Examining regimes and their rulers the world over and throughout history, from Roman Emperors to renaissance Popes, from Hannibal to Cesare di Borgia, Machievalli answers all these questions in a work of realpolitik that still has shrewd political lessons for today. Tim Parks's acclaimed contemporary translation renders Machiavelli's no-nonsense original as alarming and enlightening as when it was first written. His introduction discusses Machiavelli's life and reputation, and explores the historical background to the work.'Tim Parks's swift and supple new translation brings out all its chilling modernity' Boyd Tonkin, Independent Read more

Book 1 in the New York Times bestselling series - perfect for curious readers! 'This book reminded me of some of the children’s books I grew up with, like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Phantom Tollbooth.'RICK RIORDAN, author of the PERCY JACKSON series 'Like the Potter books, this story goes beyond mere adventure' BOOKLISTWhen a peculiar advertisement appears in the newspaper for children to take part in a secret mission, children everywhere sit a series of mysterious tests. In the end, just four children succeed: Reynie, Kate, Sticky and Constance. They have three things in common: they are all honest, all remarkably talented and all orphans. They must go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened where the only rule is that there are no rules. There they must work as a team to save not only themselves, but also the world outside the walls ...  Book 1 in the 4-book New York Times bestselling adventure series – an ideal gift for children aged 10 and up Join a group of smart and resourceful band of kids as they solve a series of page-turning puzzles and mysteries Perfect for fans of Robin Stevens's MURDER MOST UNLADYLIKE series The adventure continues in book 2, THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY AND THE PERILOUS JOURNEY Read more

THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER ‘A compelling read’ - Financial Times'In the past, for reasons I try to explain, I’ve often felt I had to be careful in public, like I was up on a wire without a net. Now I’m letting my guard down.' - Hillary Rodham Clinton, from the introduction of What Happened For the first time, Hillary Rodham Clinton reveals what she was thinking and feeling during one of the most controversial and unpredictable presidential elections in history. Now free from the constraints of running, Hillary takes you inside the intense personal experience of becoming the first woman nominated for president by a major party in an election marked by rage, sexism, exhilarating highs and infuriating lows, stranger-than-fiction twists, Russian interference and an opponent who broke all the rules. This is her most personal memoir yet. In these pages, she describes what it was like to run against Donald Trump, the mistakes she made, how she has coped with a shocking and devastating loss, and how she found the strength to pick herself back up afterwards. With humour and candour, she tells readers what it took to get back on her feet - the rituals, relationships and reading that got her through, and what the experience has taught her about life. She speaks aboutthe challenges of being a strong woman in the public eye, the criticism over her voice, age and appearance, and the double standard confronting women in politics.  She lays out howthe 2016 election was marked by an unprecedented assault on democracy by a foreign adversary. By analysing the evidence and connecting the dots, Hillary shows just how dangerous the forces are that shaped the outcome, and why Americans need to understand them to protect their values and democracy in the future. The election of 2016 was unprecedented and historic. What Happened is the story of that campaign and its aftermath - both a deeply intimate account and a cautionary tale. ‘A sporadically absorbing, pleasingly vengeful and often darkly funny account of one woman’s bid for presidential history.’ Sunday Times ‘Her new book is more gossipy, it is meaner, more entertaining and more wrong-headed than anything she or her speechwriters have written before.’ Observer ‘What Happened is highly entertaining. It is spirited, well-written and informative.’ Guardian Read more

Selected for the Evening Standard present gift guide of the year'To say this series is "empowering" doesn't do it justice. Buy a copy for your daughters, sisters, mums, aunts and nieces - just make sure you buy a copy for your sons, brothers, dads, uncles and nephews, too.' - indy100'Here's to no more forgotten women.' Evening StandardThe women who shaped and were erased from our history.The Forgotten Women series will uncover the lost histories of the influential women who have refused over hundreds of years to accept the hand they've been dealt and, as a result, have formed, shaped and changed the course of our futures. The Leaders weaves together 48* unforgettable portraits of the true pioneers and leaders who made huge yet unacknowledged contributions to history, including:Grace O'Malley, the 16th century Irish pirate queenSylvia Rivera, who spearheaded the modern transgender rights movementAgent 355, the unknown rebel spy who played a pivotal role in the American RevolutionNoor Inayat Khan, who went undercover to spy for the French Resistance and became Nazi enemy no. 1Amina of Zazzau, the formidable ancient Muslim warrior queen of Northern NigeriaChapters including Rebels; Warriors; Rulers; Activists and Reformers shine a spotlight on the rebellious women who defied the odds, and the opposition, to change the world around them. *The number of Nobel-prize-winning women. Read more

Brain-washed, anti-semitic Remainers will hate this book, which provides evidence that the EU was designed and created by the men who built and ran the Auschwitz concentration camp. If everyone knew the truth about the EU there would be no remainers. After the war, the Nazis who had made millions out of the concentration camps used their money to build the European Union - with Germany in control. This astonishing book explains how the Bank for International Settlements, the Bank of England and a group of Americans aided and abetted the Nazis bankers and industrialists who created the European Coal and Steel Community - which eventually became the EU. This book also includes the names of the EU's 40 founding fathers. Read more

The hotly anticipated final book of bestselling author Tim Shipman’s Brexit quartet. The Johnson Years to Rishi Sunak'Magnificent… Pacy and packed with delicious details… Shipman puts you in the room… His analysis is sharp and full of insight… For those seeking a moment-by-moment insider history it will not be topped' FTHow did Boris Johnson supersede Theresa May to become Britain's Prime Minister? How did he pursue his promise to Get Brexit Done amidst multiple Brexit secretaries, repeated coup attempts and reshuffles, and an extraordinarily terse relationship with Brussels? What really happened in Downing Street – from the political choices to the party place settings – as the pandemic took the world in its grip? Out follows from May's resignation through to the tussles over the final Brexit deal, the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and our shortest serving PM ever.If pre-Theresa May Westminster was largely obsessed with the clever idealism of The West Wing, marinated in the farce of The Thick of It, the parable of these years became Game of Thrones, the pseudo-medieval swords and shagging epic pitching warring factions against each other in the quest for the iron throne. At the centre of the action was Tim Shipman, chief political commentator for the Sunday Times, taking notes on the guts and gore and tears.Out is a riveting, rambunctious account of the most dramatic years in modern British politics.Tim Shipman's book 'No Way Out' was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 2024-04-22. Read more

With exclusive access to the Haughey archives, Gary Murphy presents a reassessment of Charles Haughey's life and legacy.Saint or sinner? Charles Haughey was, depending on whom you ask, either the great villain of Irish political life or the benevolent and forward-thinking saviour of a benighted nation. He was undoubtedly the most talented and influential politician of his generation, yet the very roots of his success – his charisma, his intelligence, his ruthlessness, his secrecy – have rendered almost impossible any objective evaluation of his life and work.That is, until now. Based on unfettered access to Haughey's personal archives, as well as extensive interviews with more than eighty of his peers, rivals, confidants and relatives, Haughey is a rich and nuanced portrait of a man of prodigious gifts, who, for all his flaws and many contradictions, came to define modern Ireland.'A superbly balanced exploration of the life and politics of one of the most fascinating figures in 20th century Ireland.' Professor John Horgan'An indispensable read for anyone with an interest in modern Irish history.' David McCullagh'Offers much new detail – and not a few surprises – about the personality and career of a political titan who is still, in equal measure, revered and reviled in 21st century Ireland.' Conor Brady Read more

In May 2021, the Conservative Party held an 18-point lead in the polls and won the Hartlepool by-election, taking the seat from the Labour Party on the biggest swing towards a governing party in the post-war era.Three years later, the Conservatives suffered their worst-ever election defeat. An angry public, frustrated that nothing worked anymore, took whatever stick was available to beat the government in a punishment election.Why and how did public opinion shift so radically against the Conservatives in three short years?Drawing on hundreds of surveys, polls, and focus groups, Collapse of the Conservatives examines how voters deserted the Conservative Party as the events of the 2019-2024 parliament unfolded and how a powerful anti-Conservative narrative took hold with the public. It also charts the collapse of trust in politicians and the growth of an angry anti-politics mood, which has led to more transactional voting, an openness to populist views and greater fragmentation that has changed the electoral landscape.In the 2024 general election, challenger parties, helped by a poor Conservative campaign, successfully leveraged the volatility of the electorate and its desire to punish the government for its incompetence. They adopted strategies designed to maximise their voter efficiency by targeting resources in specific constituencies, establishing themselves as the main challenger and building an anti-incumbent tactical alliance. Strategies that are likely to shape future election campaigns.The challenges facing the Conservative Party are significant. How does it deal with the rise of Reform and regain the seats lost to the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and the Labour Party? How does it rebuild its reputation for competence and develop a narrative that appeals beyond its ageing base to younger voters? Critically, how does the new party leader reconcile their desire for lower taxes and a smaller state with the public’s desire for better infrastructure and services?"The most comprehensive exploration of the 2024 election, The book meticulously examines the past 5 years of upheaval, with an impressive array of focus group data, polling, and analytical studies. Collapse of the Conservatives is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the political landslide of 2024." RedTrain Blog. Read more

'You see, if only they didn’t speak English in America, then we’d treat it as a foreign country – and probably understand it a lot better’‘the sanest man in America’ – Bill Bryson‘Jon Sopel nails it’ – Emily Maitlis**With a brand new chapter, charting Trump's first year in power**As the BBC’s North America Editor, Jon Sopel has had a pretty busy time of it lately. In the time it’s taken for a reality star to go from laughing stock to leader of the free world, Jon has travelled the length and breadth of the United States, experiencing it from a perspective that most of us could only dream of: he has flown aboard Air Force One, interviewed President Obama and has even been described as ‘a beauty’ by none other than Donald Trump.Through music, film, literature, TV and even through the food we eat and the clothes that we wear we all have a highly developed sense of what America is and through our shared, tangled history we claim a special relationship. But America today feels about as alien a country as you could imagine. It is fearful, angry and impatient for change.In this fascinating, insightful portrait of American life and politics, Jon Sopel sets out to answer our questions about a country that once stood for the grandest of dreams, but which is now mired in a storm of political extremism, racial division and increasingly perverse beliefs. Read more

*THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*A GUARDIAN AND SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR‘An astonishing book’ James O’Brien‘A gripping, devastating read’ Sunday TimesThe inside story of the UK’s response to the pandemic from the Insight investigations unit at The Sunday TimesFailures of State recounts the extraordinary political decisions taken at the heart of Boris Johnson’s government during the global pandemic.Fully updated and corroborated by hundreds of sources, this is the insider’s account of how the government sleepwalked into disaster and tried to cover up its role in the tragedy. Thrillingly told, it exposes one of the most scandalous failures of political leadership in British history.‘A damning indictment’ Alan Johnson, Observer‘A devastating piece of journalism’ Andrew Marr‘This is a scandal’ Piers Morgan Read more

***WINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2023*** 'Never before, in years of reviewing books about buildings, has one brought me to tears. This one did.' Rowan Moore, Observer Book of the Week On 14 June 2017, a 24-storey block of flats went up in flames. The fire climbed up cladding as flammable as solid petrol. Fire doors failed to self-close. No alarm rang out to warn sleeping residents. As smoke seeped into their homes, all were told to ‘stay put’. Many did – and they died. It was a tragedy decades in the making. Peter Apps meticulously exposes how a steady stream of deregulation, corporate greed and institutional indifference caused a tragedy. 72 people did not need to die, as the Grenfell Tower Inquiry makes clear. Here is the story of a grieving community forsaken by our government, a community still waiting for justice. Read more

Animals speak. Plants do too. Seas and mountains are not a mute background to human actions, but have interests and agency. Many more-than-human beings are political actors. All of us are part of a web of relations in which we affect others and are affected by them. To counter the current ecological destruction and find more just ways to co-exist, humans need new ways of doing politics with other earth beings. In this book, Dutch philosopher Eva Meijer develops such a new political model: the multispecies assembly. Multispecies assemblies are a form of direct democracy in which some beings speak for themselves and others are represented. Living differently as humans is possible, but we must begin to listen to others, and learn from them. Read more

'Magisterial ... Immensely readable' Douglas Alexander, Financial Times'Insightful, productively provocative and downright brilliant' New York Times A compelling history of catastrophes and their consequences, from 'the most brilliant British historian of his generation' (The Times) Disasters are inherently hard to predict. But when catastrophe strikes, we ought to be better prepared than the Romans were when Vesuvius erupted or medieval Italians when the Black Death struck. We have science on our side, after all. Yet the responses of many developed countries to a new pathogen from China were badly bungled. Why? While populist rulers certainly performed poorly in the face of the pandemic, Niall Ferguson argues that more profound pathologies were at work - pathologies already visible in our responses to earlier disasters. Drawing from multiple disciplines, including economics and network science, Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe offers not just a history but a general theory of disaster. As Ferguson shows, governments must learn to become less bureaucratic if we are to avoid the impending doom of irreversible decline. 'Stimulating, thought-provoking ... Readers will find much to relish' Martin Bentham, Evening Standard Read more

The final part of Charles Moore's bestselling and definitive biography of Britain's first female Prime Minister, 'One of the great biographical achievements of our times' (Sunday Times)A TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES, FINANCIAL TIMES, TELEGRAPH, IRISH TIMES, NEW STATESMAN AND SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEARHow did Margaret Thatcher change and divide Britain? How did her model of combative female leadership help shape the way we live now? How did the woman who won the Cold War and three general elections in succession find herself pushed out by her own MPs?Charles Moore's full account, based on unique access to Margaret Thatcher herself, her papers and her closest associates, tells the story of her last period in office, her combative retirement and the controversy that surrounded her even in death. It includes the Fall of the Berlin Wall which she had fought for and the rise of the modern EU which she feared. It lays bare her growing quarrels with colleagues and reveals the truth about her political assassination.Moore's three-part biography of Britain's most important peacetime prime minister paints an intimate political and personal portrait of the victories and defeats, the iron will but surprising vulnerability of the woman who dominated in an age of male power. This is the full, enthralling story. Read more

The Road to Gomorrah analyses some of the difficult decisions that Churchill had to make during the second world war. Churchill understood that Britain needed allies to prevail in a long war against Germany, so after Operation Barbarossa was launched in June 1941, Churchill aligned Britain with the Soviet Union. Until the Allies were ready to launch an invasion on the European mainland, Churchill had to do everything he could to make sure the Soviets kept fighting on the Eastern Front.The American government played their part by turning the United States into the "arsenal of democracy." After Harry Hopkins met with Stalin in July 1941, the Americans sent vast amounts of materiel to the Soviets via the Arctic Convoys.When Churchill visited Moscow in August 1942, he told Stalin that he intended to use Bomber Command to attack Germany's cities. The British were already committed to an area bombing campaign against Germany. On the evening of 24th July 1943, almost eight hundred heavy bombers took to the skies and headed east, across the North Sea.The Royal Air Force and the USAAF were working together to hit the Germans around the clock. American "Flying Fortess" bombers equipped with the Norden bombsight would continue the attack the next day.For the first time, the British bombers were carrying anti-radar technology that would neutralise the German defences. The destructive power of Bomber Command was about to be unleashed on the city of Hamburg.Operation Gomorrah was under way . . . Read more

Trudeau’s Secret Plan: What he’ll do to us if he wins again is the much-anticipated sequel to the best-selling Canadian political book of 2019, The Libranos — a book the Trudeau government is still prosecuting in the courts. But as Trudeau slouches towards the 2025 election campaign, he’s more desperate than ever; more corrupt than ever; more angry than ever; and more determined than ever to hold on to power at all costs. What happens if he actually pulls it off? Trudeau’s Secret Plan weaves together different threads of Trudeau’s obsessions, from financial corruption to globalism to his complex censorship schemes. Backed into a corner, Trudeau has never been more dangerous. This book is a must-read for anyone who cares about Canada and wants to stop Trudeau from destroying it. Read more