Get in - by Patrick Maguire & Gabriel Pogrund (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, Get In is the definitive behind-the-scenes account of Labour's brutal reinvention and dramatic return to power.

'The book about Keir Starmer we have all been waiting for' TIM SHIPMAN
'Stuffed full of scoops . . . revealing who's really in charge' LAURA KUENSSBERG
'A remarkable piece of journalism' RORY STEWART

From electoral wipeout in 2019 to landslide victory in 2024 and on into Labour's first hundred days in government, Get In is a blistering exposé of the most significant and ruthless political transformation in a generation.

At its heart is Morgan McSweeney, a mastermind of political subterfuge and author of a strategy to eviscerate the party, bury the left and rebuild it as a vote-winning machine. In Starmer he saw the perfect vessel for his vision: a man with no political identity but burning with ambition and a single all-consuming principle: to win.

Drawing on unrivalled access throughout the party and extensive leaks of internal party documents and WhatsApp messages, Get In shows how together they betrayed and marginalised Corbyn and his followers, then forged a path in which promises, and at times principles, were readily discarded in pursuit of power.

Richly peopled with the major figures of Labour present and past, this is the coming-of-age story of Britain's government. In an era in which faith in politics has plummeted, this is how to game your way to the ultimate prize. But what on earth do you do when you get there?

'A rattling tale terrifically well told . . . extremely well-sourced . . . dramatic detail' Andrew Rawnsley, Observer

'Fast-paced . . . cutting one-liners . . . it reads as if the authors were alongside McSweeney and Starmer' Jason Cowley, Sunday Times

'Fascinating . . . devastating . . . full of lively stories' Andrew Marr, New Statesman

'Unsparing . . . brilliant . . . so many golden nuggets' Michael Gove, Spectator

'Revealing . . . pacy . . . dispassionate but informed . . . a cracking read' Financial Times

'A gripping story of raw politics and ruthless men' Helen Lewis

'Revealing . . . compelling' Anne McElvoy, Evening Standard

'Extraordinarily detailed and sometimes bloodstained' Tom Baldwin, Guardian

'As excruciating as it is insightful' Economist

'A superb work of contemporary history which defines the Starmer premiership' Peter Oborne

'If you have questions about Starmer's budding reign . . . expect many of them to be answered' Kara Kennedy, Telegraph ****

'Compelling' John Harris, Guardian

'Fascinating' Andrew Grice, Independent

Review Quotes

Gripping, exhaustively researched and fast-paced . . . cutting one-liners . . . nuanced character studies . . . scenes are recreated novelistically . . . it reads as if the authors were alongside McSweeney and Starmer as they grappled with multiple crises--Jason Cowley, Sunday Times, *Book of the Week*

The compelling story of how one intensely motivated man grabbed control of a broken party, eviscerated its left and ruthlessly reforged Labour into a power-hungry machine . . . extremely well-sourced . . . dramatic detail . . . a rattling tale terrifically well told--Andrew Rawnsley, Observer, *Book of the Week*

Fascinating . . . devastating . . . full of lively stories . . . this is certainly a book you need to read to understand this government--Andrew Marr, New Statesman

Unsparing . . . Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund's brilliant new history of Labour's path back to power . . . [contains] so many golden nuggets . . . on almost every page . . . it gives you a depth and richness to understanding the tensions within the Starmer Project--Michael Gove, Spectator

Revealing . . . pacy . . . dispassionate but informed . . . a cracking read--Robert Shrimsley, Financial Times

A remarkable piece of journalism--Rory Stewart

Impeccably written, impeccably researched, impeccably sourced--Lewis Goodall, The News Agents

There are revelations on virtually every page of this addictive and compelling book... Maguire and Pogrund are impressive political journalists'--Steve Richards, Literary Review

Maguire and Pogrund . . . fish out the juicy niblets and scoops . . . revealing . . . [a] compelling account of what it took for Labour to get back, get in -- and what it will require to stay there--Anne McElvoy, Evening Standard

Pogrund and Maguire . . . bring it all to life . . . If you have questions about Starmer's budding reign . . . expect many of them to be answered--Kara Kennedy, Telegraph ****

This is an astonishing feat of journalism. The writers obtained a remarkable level of access, and in the end, you feel that this is as close to an accurate retelling of Starmer's rise as anyone could have given--Prospect

Two serious journalists who have provided an extraordinarily detailed and sometimes bloodstained account of Labour's transformation over the past five years--Tom Baldwin, Guardian

As excruciating as it is insightful--Economist

Compelling--John Harris, Guardian

A fascinating new book . . . telling the inside story of Keir Starmer's leadership . . . shines a light on the relationship between leading politicians and their influential advisers--Andrew Grice, Independent

Without question the political book of the year. With revelations on every page, Get In is the book about Keir Starmer we have all been waiting for, and it is impossible to fully understand this government unless you read it--Tim Shipman

Stuffed full of scoops, this is the moment-by-moment story of Labour's dramatic journey back to power, the plots and the personal relationships that drove Starmer into Downing Street, revealing who's really in charge--Laura Kuenssberg

A gripping tale of how one man went from political obscurity to running the country - and took Keir Starmer along for the ride. The revelations made me gasp, wince and wonder how the next few years will unfold--Matt Chorley

A gripping story of raw politics and ruthless men from two of Britain's best young journalists--Helen Lewis

A superb work of contemporary history which defines the Starmer premiership--Peter Oborne

An extraordinary story, brilliantly told . . . Through sweating their sources Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund have popped the bonnet of a political party and exposed what lies beneath--Jon Cruddas, Politics Home

An impeccably sourced and enjoyably written history of Labour's rise to power by two of Westminster's sharpest young journalists--Sam Freedman, Times Literary Supplement

Comprehensive--Private Eye

A tale of fixes, fiddling and factionalism...brilliantly told... [and] great fun... It is no small achievement... Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund have popped the bonnet of a political party and exposed what lies beneath--House Magazine

Detailed, scrupulously reported . . . Get In is invaluable for anyone wondering how on earth we got here . . . Revelations come thick and fast--Morning Star

Maguire's and Pogrund's account, rich in detail and replete with insider insights, provides a compelling, if contentious, narrative of Starmer's ascent... a valuable...record of a critical chapter in contemporary British political history--Money Week

About the Author

Patrick Maguire is a political columnist for The Times and senior political correspondent for Times Radio. He is a regular commentator on Labour politics for TV and radio and won the 2016 Anthony Howard Award for Young Journalists.

Gabriel Pogrund is Whitehall Editor at the Sunday Times. He was named Journalist of the Year at the British Journalism Awards (2023). He won Scoop of the Year at the London Press Club Awards (2022) and was the Laurence Stern Fellow at the Washington Post in 2018.