Biteback Publishing

Award-winning broadcaster IainDale has led a life full of incident and success but also some very publicfailures. In this refreshingly honest account of his life and careers inbusiness, politics and media, he tells all for the first time. With the same raw candour thatearns him 750,000 weekly listeners, he recounts his journey from driving acombine harvester at age eight to driving the national conversation on LBC,taking in his encounters with a host of household names, including HM QueenElizabeth II, Sir Cliff Richard, Kylie Minogue, Joan Rivers, Jeremy Paxman,Olivia Newton-John, Dame Joan Collins, David Dimbleby, Miranda Hart and twelveof our Prime Ministers. Along the way, Iain reflects movingly on coming out atage forty, coming to terms with his thwarted political aspirations and theheartbreaking phone-ins that have made him 'the friend they've never met' tomillions. This is the ultimate insider'sguide to the corridors of power and the pressures of the studio. Whether he'snearly throwing up on Margaret Thatcher, coming to blows with senior MPs oraccidentally calling the Archbishop of Canterbury something less than pious onlive radio, this is Iain Dale off-air and unfiltered.

Have you ever wondered what the most powerful words in historyar? he right political slogan, used at the right time by theright party, can have profound consequences on people's lives. And yet thisaspect of political campaigning has been comprehensively overlooked. Thousandsof books about politics, marketing and election campaigns are published everyyear, but none has focused specifically on the election slogan - until now. Drawing on a database of more than 20,000 slogans, thisgroundbreaking book uncovers the remarkable fact that just eight 'hit' wordshave been central to the successful outcome of most major elections. FromFranklin D. Roosevelt's 'New Deal for the American People' to Nelson Mandela's'A Better Life for All', these potent words have spanned continents andideologies, toppled governments, ended conflicts, inspired sweeping societaltransformations and been echoed by democratic and authoritarian regimes alike. Through exclusive interviews, campaign insights and voterpsychology, Eight Words That Changed the World reveals why somewords resonate deeply while others fall flat and how their use shapes politicaloutcomes. A single word can mean the difference between victory and failure -and the right words deployed at the right time hold the key to power. More thanjust a study of political messaging, this is a guide for anyone seeking tounderstand the power of language in changing the world.

Trust in government has hit rock bottom. From Partygateand the chaos of Covid to the Peter Mandelson affair and open fights betweenministers and civil servants, the hidden wiring has been sparking for all tosee. When tragedies like Grenfell or the Post Office scandal occur, governmentsare glacially slow and accountability goes missing. As successive Prime Ministers catastrophicallyfall, many say Britain is broken. Part memoir, part manifesto, Bad Government takesus behind the famous black door of government to reveal why the ship of stateis so hard to steer. As the first female private secretary in No.10, theauthor was the only other woman in the room when Margaret Thatcher resigned. Having shaped reforms under both Thatcher and Blair before working to tacklegender inequalities and deepen government's connection with civil society, shenow offers an unprecedented insider's view of how the system evolved, why it isbreaking and how it can be fixed. Exploring why successive Prime Ministers have failed intheir promises to reset government and rebuild trust, this arresting book drawson compelling personal insights, weaving together forty years of history withthe crises of today. This is a vital look at the urgent need for a differentmodel of government before the electorate loses faith entirely.

In 1986, Sylvan High School in Crystal Palacewas a broken school, with a pass rate of 9 per cent, truancy of 60 per cent andteachers who seldom lasted longer than six months. Today, the Harris CityAcademy Crystal Palace, Sylvan’s successor, is hailed as one of the bestschools in the country. This transformation was the blueprint for anational education revolution. Philip Harris’s achievements paved the way forthe academies movement, and academies now account for nearly half of England’sschools. The same remarkable effect can be seen throughout the HarrisFederation, the most successful multi-academy trust in England, which runsfifty-nine state academies with around 50,000 students and 5,000 members ofstaff. Every single one is rated ‘Good’ or better by Ofsted, and seven wererecently listed in an international report as ‘World Class’. The Harris revolution has driven theextraordinary improvements in our education system over the past twenty years. In 2009, England lagged at twenty-seventh in the world for maths andtwenty-fifth for reading. Today, reports show it is among the best-performingcountries in Europe. All Can Achieveis both the inspiring account of how Philip Harris took on the near-impossiblechallenge of turning around failing state schools and the inside story of aseismic change in English education.

"The key missing piece in the Brexit story" Tim Shipman, TheSpectator | "A wonderful read from one of the most quietlyinfluential people in politics in recent decades." Chris Mason, BBCThe 2016 Brexitreferendum caused a political earthquake, with aftershocks that are still beingfelt a decade later. For many, including some who voted to leave, the resultcame as a surprise. But for one man, it was not. The outcome that stunned somany was something he had been working to achieve for twenty years. You may not have heardof Matthew Elliott, but you should have. He is one of Britain's most successfulcampaigners, a reserved and thoughtful strategist who has single-handedly shapedour political landscape. In 2011, he staved off an attempt to change our votingsystem through the successful NOtoAV campaign. Then, five years later, hesteered Vote Leave to victory as its chief executive. This extraordinarymemoir spans the period from the build-up to Brexit during the 1990s to thepresent day, providing a fresh perspective on what really went on during thecampaign, how the result was won and its bitter aftermath. With his customary candourand wit, Matthew reveals what it's like working side-by-side with Boris Johnsonand Dominic Cummings, their dealings with Nigel Farage and the tricks of thetrade that campaigners use to shape the news. Here, ten years onfrom the EU referendum, is the definitive story of Brexit, as told by the manwho had a front-row seat to the most extraordinary political campaign of the modernera.

Nigel Farage is the greatdisruptor of British politics. Since co-founding UKIP in 1993, he haschallenged the status quo in areas including the UK's membership of theEuropean Union, mass immigration and net zero. He is the only person in themodern era to steer two different political parties to victory in successivenational elections, topping the poll in the European elections in 2014 withUKIP and in 2019 with the Brexit Party. Now he is attempting to crown thatachievement as the leader of Reform UK by sweeping to power at the next generalelection. Farage is considered anoutsider with a devil-may-care attitude; a populist equallyat home on GB News and I'mA Celebrity... as he is discussing the European Convention on HumanRights. So why is this anti-establishment figure being spoken of as afuture occupant of 10 Downing Street? Can he turn a political start-upinto an election-winning machine that appeals to both the leftand the right? And could he bring unity to Britai? n this meticulouslyresearched and highly entertaining book, Michael Ashcroft charts Farage'sextraordinary life before examining Reform UK's advance, its internalstruggles, its impact on British politics and its prospects for electoralsuccess. With unparalleled accessto those who know him best, The Farage Factor: Reform UK and the remaking ofBritish politics will help voters judge just how credible Farage's aim offorming the next government is.

WhenRussia invaded Ukraine in 2022, thousands of Ukrainian citizens strapped onarmour, picked up weapons and chose to risk their lives for the freedom oftheir homeland. Many would never return. Choosing to stay in Ukraine and coverthe invasion, journalist Tom Mutch witnessed the forging of an 'iron generation'of young Ukrainians. Withfirst-hand reporting from all the major battlegrounds and front lines, TheDogs of Mariupol recounts not only the war's notorious encounters but alsoits untold stories, painstakingly documenting the immense human catastrophewrought on Ukrainian society and the divisions between those who fought andthose who fled. Afterfour years of conflict, Ukraine holds on, but a peace agreement remains elusive. Meanwhile, the death toll only rises. In this revised and expanded edition, TomMutch charts the struggles behind the headlines - both of ordinary Ukrainiansand their wartime leaders - and positions the invasion within the changing faceof warfare and the breakdown of the global order itself.

Who was the greatest Jewish footballer ever? A question to leave even the most historically literate football experts scratching their heads. And yet, before the Holocaust, Jewish superstar players were at the heart of European football. So too were the visionary Jewish coaches reinventing tactics; the Jewish footballing pioneers who shaped the modern game; and even the elite Jewish referees trusted with the biggest matches. Digging Deep excavates a destroyed civilisation. It reveals the untold stories of eleven Jewish football greats - icons one minute, marked for extermination the next. Setting exhilarating sporting triumphs against the gathering darkness of twentieth-century Europe, it restores these forgotten men to their rightful place in the football pantheon. More than a sports book, this is a journey through the beautiful game into the savage reality of the Holocaust - tracing human sagas that speak of ambition and glory, identity and belonging, terror and murder.

Dallas, 22 November 1963. The main event is supposed to be downtown, on Main Street. News footage shows office workers leaning out of windows, peering at the motorcade through a blizzard of ticker tape. On the sidewalks, the crowds are fifty deep, a wall of noise and celebration. Everyone thinks this is the place to be. A few blocks away, in Dealey Plaza, the air is different. There is no ticker tape here. The crowds are thin. The only person filming is a dressmaker balanced on a concrete plinth. In this quiet corner, there's a man opening an umbrella even though it isn't raining, a construction worker in a hard hat who claims he was sent here by God, three tramps who stand on the verge of becoming suspects, an unidentified witness known only as the Babushka Lady, and many more. This is not a book about conspiracies or a lone gunman. This is a book about memory, about how we construct our shared history, and about what happens when your life is defined by a single, fleeting moment. It's about a group of real people who opted out of the main event before John F. Kennedy was assassinated, only to find themselves accidental witnesses to the most scrutinised six seconds of the twentieth century.

Europe, 1940. Naziforces sweep across the continent, with a British invasion likely only weeksaway. Never before has a resistance movement been so crucial to the war effort. In this comprehensiveappraisal of Anglo-Norwegian cooperation in the Second World War, Tony Insallreveals some of the most striking successes of the Norwegian resistance,particularly the reports produced by the heroic SIS agents living in thecountry’s desolate wilderness. Their coast-watching intelligence highlightedthe movements of the German fleet and led to counter-strikes that sank manyenemy ships – most notably the Tirpitz in November 1944. Delving deep into thearchives, Insall also shows how SIS and SOE’s effective cooperation with theirNorwegian counterparts produced some of the most remarkable achievements of thewar. This fully updatededition draws on a wealth of new source material, revealing previously unknownstories of fraught sea crossings, a disastrous British-Norwegian operation,covert dealings with the Russians and much more.

Inthis explosive, no-holds-barred account of the life of a globally renownedclassical musician, Julian Lloyd Webber lifts the lid on a professionpreviously shrouded in mystery. Fromvivid descriptions of his childhood in one of the world's most famous musicaldynasties to unfiltered stories from his incredible career - includingcollaborations with such stars as Yehudi Menuhin, Joaquin Rodrigo, Elton John,and his brother, Andrew Lloyd Webber - Bows and Arrows reveals acut-throat world of agents, promoters, record companies, violin dealers andsubstance abuse, laying bare the classical music industry as never before. Withrefreshing honesty and humour, Julian recounts the break-up of three of hisfour marriages, his lifelong passion for ensuring that every child has a chanceto play a musical instrument and his devastation at the injury that forced himto stop playing and sell his Stradivarius cello in 2014. This earth-shatteringloss, however, led him to discover a new calling as principal of a leadingroyal conservatoire and to double down on his efforts as a tireless champion ofmusic education, working closely both with government and charities. Culminatingin Julian's return to the stage for the first time in twelve years, Bows andArrows is a powerful story of passion, loss and a life reborn.

Updated 2026 edition,including never-before-seen photos and new epilogue. In the summer of 1999,Michael Ashcroft (now Lord Ashcroft) became the subject of concerted attacksaimed at unseating him as Treasurer of the Conservative Party. His attackerswere The Times newspaper and the New Labour Government of Tony Blair. The ultimate target wasWilliam Hague (now Lord Hague), whose leadership would be destabilised and thefinances of his party undermined had his Treasurer been forced from office. This book is the personalaccount of Lord Ashcroft's six-year fight, first to resist a succession ofwholly unjustified attacks, then to clear his damaged name and, finally, toexpose the dirty tricks used against him - some of them even exploiting thefruits of criminal acts. Wapping and New Labourwere to discover that they had taken on a formidable, resourceful anddetermined opponent, one who would go on to reveal unacceptable aspects of bothnational newspaper journalism and British politics. This book sheds new lighton the extraordinary life of an essentially private man. Lord Ashcroft, whoremains as committed as ever to the Conservative Party and its values, alsoreveals how he helped the party through one of the most troubled periods in itshistory. The book, however, endson a positive note - with Lord Ashcroft, at eighty years old, full of energyand vigour, and still embracing his work and his passions. These include hisvaried business interests, his charitable work, his writing, his polling,championing bravery and supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia.

In the 1980s, politicians declared war on football;football supporters declared war on each other inside crumbling stadiums thatresembled bomb sites and the '82 and '86 World Cups were played against thebackdrop of the Falklands conflict. It was a decade in which some fans diedwatching the game they loved, and at times, the 'slum sport' seemed set toimplode. Yet, remarkably, the game was on the cusp of morphing into thebehemoth it has become today. Set against a backdrop of economic recession,rampant hooliganism and suspect fashion, Go To War tells the story ofhow triumph and tragedy shaped English football during the 1980s. Throughoutthis explosive book, author Jon Spurling delves into the stories behind thesuccesses and strife. Thirty years in the making, Go To War drawson interviews conducted with '80s icons including Terry Butcher, Graeme Sharpand Ray Wilkins, managerial legends like Howard Kendall and Bobby Robson and FACup heroes Ricky Villa and Norman Whiteside. Like its precursor, thebestselling Get It On, Go To War provides a unique insight into apivotal footballing decade.

In this lively and colourful history, royal expert TomQuinn goes behind palace doors to give a compelling glimpse of Britain’sroyals, ancient and modern. From medieval times, when the Groom of the Stooloversaw the monarch’s lavatorial exploits, below-stairs staff have always had aunique insight into the lives of their royal masters. Through the eyes of serving and recently retired staff,we see how today’s royals live – including how the relationship between Meghanand Harry and William and Kate started with high hopes and descended intobitterness and anger. Now fully updated with a scandalous new chapterrevealing how the former Prince Andrew’s life has changed since being cast outby the royal family, Yes, Ma’am is the ultimate insight into what reallymakes the royal family tick – after all, who better to ask than their army ofservants and staff, past and present?

Between 2016 and 2019, aunique coalition assembled within British politics. Combining Corbynite campaigners,Conservative Cabinet ministers, celebrities and grassroots activists, thisdisparate collection of forces was brought together by one aim: stoppingBrexit. What began as the unfocused belief that Britain must not leave theEuropean Union morphed into a mass movement: the People's Vote campaign, a messof organisations united by the call for a second referendum. From the stunts of youthcampaigners and the online antics of pro-EU influencers to the million-person marchesof 2019 and the launch of new centrist parties, many tactics, serious andunserious alike, were used to try to secure a fresh vote. A campaign premisedon telling the nation that they had got it catastrophically wrong was alwaysgoing to be hard, and it was only made more so by parliamentary maths thatnever quite seemed to add up. No Second Chances tellsthe dramatic, bizarre and at times embarrassing tale of the battle for a secondreferendum, the descent into infighting and the implosion of the People's Votecampaign in full for the first time. Based on exclusive interviews with thoseon the front line, this is the sensational inside story of one of recentBritish history's most feted roads not taken.

We are living through anera of extraordinary technological progress, political turmoil and socialupheaval. In the face of such change, how can we chart a course to a brighterfuture? How can citizens, business leaders and politicians get ahead at a time ofseemingly perpetual uncertainty? The Future Habit isa practical and provocative guide for building the one capability we all needto stay ahead of the game: a disciplined habit of working with the future. Drawing on cognitive science, applied foresight and decades of strategicexperience, the book introduces an actionable framework for cultivating a 'futureedge' - a repeatable process of anticipating, adapting to and shaping emergingrealities. It offers a methodicalapproach to working with the future in real-world contexts - throughpredictions, pre-mortems, scenario work, narrative exploration and the creativeintegration of AI. Having spent years embedding foresight in companies at theforefront of the tech revolution, the authors ensure that The FutureHabit will make a positive difference to all readers who follow itslessons. But this is not only astrategic playbook: it's a generous and optimistic reassessment of our sharedtomorrow. By prompting us to expand our mental horizons and consider theabundant possibilities of long-term thinking, the book shows that the future isnot something we predict; it's something we practise.