Blue Murder - by Ben Riley-Smith (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

UPDATED WITH A NEW CHAPTER ON THE 2024 ELECTION

A GUARDIAN AND DAILY TELEGRAPH POLITICS BOOK OF THE YEAR

'BRILLIANT' ANDREW MARR
'MAJESTIC' GUARDIAN
'ESSENTIAL' JON SOPEL
'A CRACKING READ' FINANCIAL TIMES
'A SHARP INSIDER ACCOUNT' NEW STATESMAN

The full inside story of fourteen years of Tory rule, from coalition to self-destruction.

In 2010 David Cameron's Conservative Party came into power with a promise of stability. Fourteen years and five prime ministers later, the Tories have been swept away, divided and decimated. What went wrong?

From the ashes of a financial crisis to a break from the EU to a global pandemic, prime ministers have changed dramatically while the Tories remained in power. Merciless rebellions and the swift ousting of leaders enabled this, but the same ruthlessness ultimately brought about their downfall. Blue Murder links stories of betrayal in Cameron's coalition, the travails of May, the sagas of Johnson, the Truss implosion and the Sunak spiral. Through his unique access and unmissable inside stories, Ben Riley-Smith's thrilling account is essential for anyone wondering how the Tories carved out the political opportunity of a generation and then tore themselves apart.

PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AS THE RIGHT TO RULE.

Review Quotes

Essential

Expertly explains how a governing party mainly skilled in backstabbing survived in power

Marvellous . . . Packed with insight, gossip and candid reflections from the major players

Superb

A brilliant encapsulation of thirteen years

A grippingly-written, detailed book that answers so many questions

A sharp insider account of the long Tory reign

A wonderfully written canter through an extraordinary decade and a bit. Highly recommended

A majestic digested read of the last 13 years of Tory leadership, drawing together the threads of fou

An impeccably sourced insider account

Colourful and richly researched

Filled with chaos, rebellion, infighting, backbiting and catastrophe and much more. Interesting . . . a cracking read

Future historians will refer to this study in cynicism and clever reinvention

Future historians will take Ben Riley-Smith's lucid and riveting book as their guide

Insightful, authoritative and incredibly readable. It had me open-mouthed with amazement

Riley-Smith is an excellent, pithy writer with a knack for a telling phrase

Riley-Smith is an excellent, pithy writer with a knack for a telling phrase . . . it will remain among the best books written about the chaos and carnage of the last 13 years

Terrific. Not all political books are page-turners. This really is. It will be a while before it's bettered. It is really excellent

About the Author

Ben Riley-Smith is the Daily Telegraph's Political Editor. He has spent a decade at the paper covering politics in the Scottish Parliament, Westminster and Washington, DC. He has interviewed the last five prime ministers and covered the elections and referendums that have shaped recent British politics first hand. He has been shortlisted twice for political journalism at the British Journalism Awards.