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Breaking the Code
Westminster Diaries
Brief Description
In the general election of 1997, the Conservative Party was heading for electoral oblivion. The Prime Minister was competent but unable to connect with voters, the Labour leader was dragging his party back to the centre ground, and MPs on all sides were embroiled in scandal....
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See moreBreaking the Code paints an extraordinary portrait of Whitehall and Westminster in our time - warts and all.
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Description
In the general election of 1997, the Conservative Party was heading for electoral oblivion. The Prime Minister was competent but unable to connect with voters, the Labour leader was dragging his party back to the centre ground, and MPs on all sides were embroiled in scandal. Sound familiar?
One of the many Conservative MPs who at that time found themselves staring down the barrel of almost-certain defeat, Gyles Brandreth understands what it's like to be part of a government in its death throes. His account of his time in Parliament from 1992 to 1997 also controversially revealed the secret world of the Whips' Office and its struggles to control a party riven by infighting.
Now, as history looks set to repeat itself, comes the definitive edition of this widely acclaimed classic. With candid descriptions of the key figures of the era, from the leading players to the ministers who fell from grace, and a bright young hopeful by the name of David Cameron, Breaking the Code paints an extraordinary portrait of Whitehall and Westminster in our time—warts and all.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781785908736
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 16 May 2024
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Biteback Publishing
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Weight: 250g
Pages: 560
About the Author
Gyles Brandreth is a writer, broadcaster, actor, former MP and Lord Commissioner of the Treasury, now Chancellor of the University of Chester and one of Britain's most sought-after award ceremony hosts and after-dinner speakers. A star of Celebrity Gogglebox, a veteran of QI and Have I Got News For You, a reporter on The One Show, a presenter on Pointless, a regular on This Morning, and since the 1980s one of the mainstays of Just a Minute on BBC Radio 4. His most recent book is an acclaimed biography of Queen Elizabeth II: Elizabeth: an intimate portrait (Michael Joseph, 2022) which was a Sunday Times No 1 bestseller.
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