The Not Quite Prime Ministers : Leaders of the Opposition 1783-2020

Historyis written by the winners, they say. And more often than not, it iswritten about themtoo. Books have been published chronicling all of the UK’s Prime Ministers –those individuals who somehow made it to the top of the greasy pole ofpolitics, however short or undistinguished their tenure at No. 10.

Butwhat about those who failed to make it? Leaders of the Opposition presentthemselves as the alternative Prime Minister, and many of them have indeed goneon to take power. But many more have not. Who were these potential PMs? Why didthey never make it to Downing Street? Do they all deserve to be remembered aslosers?

Inthis often wildly entertaining anthology, Dr Nigel Fletcher of the Centre forOpposition Studies brings together key details of each failed opposition leaderfrom Charles James Fox in 1783 to the modern day. Listeners to Matt Chorley’sshow on Times Radio during 2022 will have heard Nigel every Monday discussinghis Leader of the Opposition of the week, and this book contains all the oddfacts, amusing anecdotes and pub quiz trivia from those features, plus muchmore.