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THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

The essential blueprint for a better future, from the leading economist and Labour rising star

‘Stellar: brilliant, incredibly pragmatic’ Rory Stewart
‘No one has done more to re-inject sanity into our national policy’ Emily Maitlis
‘Everyone should read this book if they care about our country’ Tom Baldwin

Great Britain? is both a clear-eyed diagnosis of the problems facing our country – a uniquely toxic combination of huge inequality and stagnant economic growth – and a bold vision for the alternative.

In this treasure trove of enlightening and original analysis, Torsten Bell argues that our era of chaos and cynicism needs neither utopianism nor nostalgia, but a practical patriotism to raise living standards and create a more equal country. This is a book bursting with ideas and infectious hope: Bell passionately points us towards a Britain that we can actually build – a future worth fighting for.

*Updated with a new Preface*

‘Pretty cool’ Alastair Campbell
‘Refreshingly optimistic’ The Times
‘A dose of Torstenomics is the only thing that can give us hope’ Amol Rajan
‘Spiced with wit, masterful, fact-packed’ Polly Toynbee

Publisher Review

If one wants to understand some of the best thinking in the governing Labour party ... this is an invaluable analysis and a call to arms -- Martin Wolf * FT Books of the Year, 2024 * A roadmap to the new normal ... surprisingly hopeful ... required reading for the new intake ... this is an incisive, upbeat vision of how a Labour government could turn things around even in difficult times -- Gaby Hinsliff * Observer * An economic blueprint for a Starmer administration * New Statesman * Bell is an excellent writer with a talent for putting things so clearly and crisply that they lodge easily in the brain ... Although Bell is pretty bleak about Britain's condition, he is refreshingly optimistic about our chances of catching up with our peers -- Emma Duncan * The Times * This is stellar: brilliant, incredibly pragmatic and serious about the country we are. It presents a wonderful opportunity for an incoming government. -- Rory Stewart Spiced with wit, this is a masterful, fact-packed indictment of modern Britain after its decade of decline. But there is also hope and optimism in its practical prescription for a great social and economic restoration. -- Polly Toynbee A refreshingly honest and nuanced analysis of our economic decline, and a clear-headed appraisal of what needs to be done to pull ourselves out of it -- MoneyWeek Fascinating stuff - recommended reading -- Henry Mance No one has done more to re-inject sanity into our national policy debates - Torsten Bell writes with optimism and clarity about the things we are getting right, as well as the stuff we should be desperate to improve. Authoritative, forensic and humane - a critical voice for our troubled times. -- Emily Maitlis An incisive, challenging and brilliantly researched agenda to deliver what Britain needs: inclusive and sustainable growth. -- Gordon Brown