British Labour Leaders

Charles Clarke, Toby S. James

$57.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Biteback Publishing
01 December 2025

Socialism & left-of-centre democratic ideologies; Political leaders & leadership; Political parties

Comprehensively updated new edition of the essential guide to the qualities and vulnerabilities of political leaders.

As the party that championed trade union rights, the creation of the NHS and the establishment of a national minimum wage, Labour has played an undoubtedly crucial role in the shaping of contemporary British society. And yet the leaders who have stood at its helm

from Keir Hardie to Sir Keir Starmer, via Clement Attlee, Tony Blair and Jeremy Corbyn

have steered the party vessel with enormously varying degrees of success.

With the widening of the franchise, revolutionary changes to social values and the growing ubiquity of the media, the requirements, techniques and goals of Labour leadership since the party's turn-of-the-twentieth-century inception have been forced to evolve almost beyond recognition

and not all its leaders have managed to keep up.

This comprehensive and enlightening book considers the attributes and achievements of each leader in the context of their respective time and diplomatic landscape, offering a compelling analytical framework by which they may be judged, detailed personal biographies from some of the country's foremost political critics, and exclusive interviews with former leaders themselves.

An indispensable contribution to the study of party leadership, British Labour Leaders is the essential guide to understanding British political history and governance through the prism of those who created it.

Essential reading for followers and students of the history of Labour politics.

'Anyone interested in the dynamics of political leadership, and how it is exercised in a party that was created to challenge the very notion of deference, should read this important and absorbing book.'

Alan Johnson

'High-class biography and timely analysis reveal the essence of a successful and flawed Labour Party leader.'

Patrick Wintour

Edited by: Charles Clarke, Toby S. James
Imprint: Biteback Publishing
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: New edition
ISBN: 9781785909504
ISBN 10: 1785909509
Pages: 512
Publication Date: 01 December 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Charles Clarke was the Labour MP for Norwich South from 1997 to 2010. He served as Education Minister from 1998 and then in the Home Office from 1999 to 2001. He then joined the Cabinet as Minister without Portfolio and Labour Party chair. From 2002 to 2004 he was Secretary of State for Education and Skills and then Home Secretary until 2006. Toby S. James is Professor of Politics and Public Policy in the School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies at the University of East Anglia. He is also Distinguished Fellow and Adjunct Professor at Queens University, Canada, and editor-in-chief of the multidisciplinary journal Policy Studies.

Reviews for British Labour Leaders

""This book is an invaluable guide to the qualities and vulnerabilities of previous leaders. Anyone interested in the dynamics of political leadership, and how it is exercised in a party that was created to challenge the very notion of deference, should read this important and absorbing book."" Alan Johnson, former Labour Cabinet minister and author of Harold Wilson: Twentieth Century Man ""High-class biography and timely analysis reveal the essence of a successful and flawed Labour Party leader."" Patrick Wintour, diplomatic editor at The Guardian ""The essays in this book shine a sharp light on the nature and history of political leadership in the Labour Party and on how each leader has coped with the specific challenges facing them. This is an excellent, authoritative volume that can be warmly recommended for everyone with an interest in British politics."" Andrew Gamble, emeritus professor of politics at the University of Sheffield