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The Times – Best Politics and Current Affairs Books of the Year

An entertaining and revealing history of modern British politics – and the pivotal moments that got us where we are now. From Steve Richards, broadcaster, journalist, and author of The Prime Ministers We Never Had.

‘Through wonderful vignettes, Richards offers a masterful, clear-eyed and, above all, entertaining history of British politics’ – Will Hutton

Every few weeks in British politics, a columnist will reach for the word ‘unprecedented’ as a cabinet minister resigns or yet another inquiry is called. In this magisterial history, respected broadcaster and journalist Steve Richards puts the chaos into context.

Blending anecdote and analysis, Richards takes a step back to explore ten critical moments that have shaped modern Britain – from the Suez Crisis of 1956 to the Covid-19 pandemic, from 1945 to Thatcher.

Richards argues that it is only with distance that we can perceive the tectonic plates shifting – and events that may seem earth-shattering in the moment might be a passing tremor with the perspective of history.

A must-read for anyone seeking to understand our nation, this landmark work is enlightening and entertaining in equal measure.

‘Steve Richards is one of the shrewdest political commentators we have’ – Andrew Marr, author of The Making of Modern Britain

Publisher Review

Steve Richards is one of the shrewdest political commentators we have — Andrew Marr, author of The Making of Modern Britain So many turning points, so little real turning. Through wonderful vignettes, Richards offers a masterful, clear-eyed and, above all, entertaining history of British politics. To pilot a better future, we need to learn how not to repeat the mistakes of the past. The book is a lesson in just that — Will Hutton, Observer columnist A wonderful book to savour. Only Richards can take you on a journey that flies so gracefully above the hurly-burly of politics and explain what’s actually going on — Isabel Hardman, author of Why We Get the Wrong Politicians An engaging canter through postwar Britain . . . shaped by a lifetime of reading — Prospect A masterly account. Insightful, thoughtful and above all full of empathy, Turning Points is a work of understanding as well as scholarship — Gavin Esler, journalist and author of How Britain Ends A pure pleasure to read. Richards is the ideal companion for anyone wishing to taste, feel and understand the ebbs and flows of the British experience since the end of the Second World War. The key characters live and breathe in his pages — Peter Hennessy, historian and author of A Duty of Care