Andy Beckett

''An outstanding achievement, and mesmerically readable.'' Sunday TimesIn October 1998, former Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet was arrested in London and charged with crimes against humanity. But over the 16 months that Pinochet was detained, intriguing questions went unanswered about his close ties with Britain. Why was Lady Thatcher so keen to defend the General? And why was Tony Blair''s usually cautious government prepared to have him arrested? Andy Beckett uncovers the answers that reside deep within the long and shadowy shared history between Britain and Chile.

From the acclaimed author of Promised You a Miracle and When the Lights Went Out, the untold story of British politics in modern times, through the triumphs and disasters of its five most radical figuresLonglisted for the Bread & Roses Prize for Radical Publishing 2025 'A breath of fresh air: a vivid eye for detail meets narrative pacing that seems effortless.' Morgan Jones, LabourList‘An absorbing history of Labour’s radical left.’ Jason Cowley, Observer‘The Searchers should be studied closely by anyone with a stake in British politics.’ Patrick Maguire, The TimesIn the great revolutionary year of 1968, Tony Benn was a respectable Labour minister in his forties, and he was restless. While new social movements were shaking up Britain and much of the world, Westminster politics seemed stuck. It was time, he decided, for a different approach. Over the next half century, the radicalized Benn helped forge a new left in Britain. He was joined by four other politicians, who would become comrades, collaborators and rivals: Ken Livingstone, John McDonnell, Diane Abbott and Jeremy Corbyn. For Andy Beckett, the story of these admired and loathed political explorers - both their sudden breakthroughs and long stretches in the wilderness - is the untold story of British politics in modern times. As he reveals, their project to create a radically more equal, liberal and democratic Britain has been much more influential than electoral history might suggest, and can be seen from the shape of our city life to the causes of our culture wars. For their many detractors, this influence was and remains dangerous: a form of extremism that must be stamped out. But as these five searchers believed, in politics there is no total victory - nor total defeat.