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Larrythe cat, chief mouser of Downing Street, has seen off five Prime Ministers sofar and is a national treasure. Though certainly the most famous cat inBritain, Larry is only one of a long line of political animals at the seats ofgovernment on both sides of the Atlantic. Frompandas and platypuses to Labradors and lions, animals have long shored up peacebetween rivals, clinched election campaigns, caused divisions within parties andleft their unique calling cards in the halls of power. Journalistand former special adviser Peter Cardwell traces the political (andnot-so-political) adventures of these fascinating pets from Tudor times to No. 10's newest kitten. Drawing on exclusive interviews with Washington andWestminster insiders, including Prime Ministers past and present, Cardwell revealsnever-before-heard tales of political pets and offers a fresh insight into theenduring relationships between those in government and their furry friends.

Whatdo Boris Johnson, Marmite and snakes have in common? They are all firstmentions that have wacky and wonderful second mentions. See if you can matchthem up! 'The beloved yeasty spread''The hissing reptiles''The clown prince of politics'From@SecondMentions, christened 'the best thing on social media' by The Times,comes a colourful collection of creative linguistic curiosities. Toavoid repetition, journalists often try to be inventive when referencing somethingfor the second time in an article - for example, Santa Claus might appear as'the bearded present-bearer', while Jack Grealish might be dubbed 'thefop-haired footie pin-up'. Once you see one, you start seeing them everywhere -and it becomes addictive. Formore than ten years, Juliet and Matthew Maguire have been collecting theirfavourites on social media. @SecondMentions has become a hub for journalists,linguaphiles and anyone looking for some light-hearted relief while wadingthrough the news. Bringingtogether the best and brightest second mentions for animals, actors, food,sports and more, The Little Book of Second Mentions is the perfect readfor anyone with a passion for the power of the English language.

The story of Margaret Thatcher'spost-premiership years is a tale of high drama and low farce, with, at itsheart, one extraordinary woman. Margaret Thatcher enjoyed perhaps one of themost consequential political afterlives in British history. No longer in officebut never really out of power, she was not only one of the most impactful PrimeMinisters the UK has ever had; she was also one of the most impactful formerPrime Ministers the UK has ever had. British politics today undoubtedlyreflects Thatcher's time in No. 10, but it is also shaped by her later life andhow people reacted and still react to it. To mark the centenary of her birth, MargaretThatcher: Life After Downing Street provides a radical reassessment of howThatcher's premier emeritus years have been viewed to date. Covering the fourmain areas of her work after Downing Street - philosophy, party, policy andperformance - and analysing her continued and continuing influence on theConservative leaders and Prime Ministers of all parties who followed her, itdemonstrates why, however small the politics may or may not have got since1990, Margaret Thatcher is still big.

The sale of Chelsea Football Club in 2022 wasone of the highest-profile and most controversial sports transactions of alltime. In the shadow of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, what unfolded after RomanAbramovich was forced to put his beloved club up for sale would change Englishfootball for ever. Under the threat of bankruptcy and ruin, Chelsea pulled offa complex transaction in three tense and troubling months - a quarter of the timemany analysts would normally set aside for such a deal. Sanctioned isthe definitive account of this unique period. Through unprecedented access to Abramovich himselfand key figures from Chelsea's new ownership, as well as further interviewswith a star-studded footballing cast, Nick Purewal unfolds a wide-ranging taleof political sanctions, hushed negotiations and Cold War-style geopolitics, alltold in vivid, propulsive prose against a backdrop of war on the edge ofEurope. From the club's owners to its staff, players andsupporters, via UK government intervention, dramatic peace talks and even a foul-playpoisoning episode, Sanctioned chronicles ninety-five extraordinary daysin English football.

The Art of Delivery ventures inside 10Downing Street at the turn of the millennium to unveil how Tony Blair'sgovernment successfully transformed the public services we value most. Though the Blair government had a hugemandate, there remained fundamental challenges to success - not least theBlair-Brown rivalry, which manifested itself in a proxy war over the directionof public service reform. Nevertheless, over four years, the Prime Minister'sDelivery Unit, led by Sir Michael Barber, upgraded the way in which the Britishgovernment implemented improvements to the NHS and the education system. Italso represented a watershed for how Prime Ministers engage with the real-worlddelivery of their priorities. Until now, much of this narrative hasremained untold. Based on brand-new research and analysis, Michelle Clementuncovers the full story, drawing on 600,000 words of Sir Michael Barber'sunpublished, handwritten private diaries as well as exclusive interviews andgovernment papers. Filled with revealing insider detail, this is a humanaccount of what it takes to effect change from behind that famous black door.

For so many decades, Hackney wasthe pinnacle of the dynamic multicultural spirit of modern Britain,demonstrated by the borough's vibrant and energetic streets and oftencontroversial political, cultural and socio-economic character. But today, theHackney that long-standing residents once treasured seems to be disappearing. The borough's diverse working-class communities - who survived the run-downcouncil estates, the overwhelming deprivation and the postcode wars - areincreasingly being pushed out by the middle classes who buy up their homes,rename their shops and reshape their neighbourhoods. How did Hackney go from being oneof the poorest and most uninviting places in the country to being one of themost sought-after locations? In these pages, lifelong resident Richard Yeboahuncovers the borough's lively history, revealing the uncomfortable story of howgentrification has transformed Hackney, for better or for worse. Examining some of the mostcontested issues facing the borough today - including housing and regeneration,politics, class, race, education, youth violence, culture and gender identity -Yeboah amplifies the voices of Hackney's new, existing and former communitiesand explores the relationship between gentrification and feelings of belongingand loss. From Hackney, With Love isboth a unique love letter to one of the most vibrant parts of London and awarning that its very existence is in jeopardy.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Kateryna hung up her dresses,Oksana and Stanislav put down their lawyers' briefs and Oksen slammed shut hisphilosophy textbooks. Alongside thousands of their fellow citizens, theystrapped on armour, picked up weapons and chose to risk their lives for thefreedom and independence of their homeland. Many would never return. Journalist Tom Mutch woke up in Kyiv on 24 February to aworld changed for ever. Making a fateful choice to stay and cover the invasion,he 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 the war's notorious encounters, such as theBattle of Kyiv and the Siege of Mariupol, but also uncovers untold stories,like the 1st Tank Brigade's desperate defence of Chernihiv and the civilian guerrillaarmy fighting overwhelming odds in Sumy. This is not a triumphalist account of Ukraine's fight,however. It painstakingly documents the immense human catastrophe wrought onUkrainian society and the divisions between those who fought and those whofled. It also delves deeper into events to answer important historicalquestions: could the Russian plan to capture Kyiv have succeeded? Did Ukrainemake a fatal error by committing for so long to the defence of Bakhmut? Andwith more western support, could Ukraine have won this terrible war outright?

Thecommonly held belief that the king or queen is a mere ornament of the constitutioncould not be further from reality. The turbulent past decade has tested theBritish constitution like never before, and Brexit, the illegal proroguing ofParliament and the near death of Boris Johnson while in office have demonstratedthe often misunderstood but crucial role the sovereign plays in ensuringstability in our political system. Theking or queen holds a unique set of powers that enable them to act as thedefender of our constitution, a duty they perform not through the active use ofpower but by constitutional authority. The mere threat of action by thesovereign is often all that is needed to get the political machine back ontrack and avoid crisis. Takingus on a fascinating journey through centuries of British political history,focusing on the monarch's powers to appoint and dismiss a Prime Minister, granta dissolution of Parliament and refuse assent to legislation, On HisMajesty's Service examines how past monarchs have avoided constitutionalcrisis and reveals the hidden hand of the monarchy in the smooth running of thestate, shattering the accepted political truism that the king reigns but doesnot rule. Theseare the king's prerogative powers, and this is their story.

More than three decadesafter leaving office, Margaret Thatcher still bestrides the political scene,both in Britain and around the world, like a colossus. First elected to Parliamentin 1959, she served for twenty years before making history as the UK's firstfemale Prime Minister. Her two further election victories, both landslides,made her the longest-serving British premier since Lord Liverpool in the Georgianera. To mark the centenary of herbirth, this fully updated edition of Memories of Margaret Thatcher bringstogether 250 personal reminiscences and anecdotes from those who experiencedclose encounters with the Iron Lady - whether political friends or opponents,observing her from the press gallery or toiling to keep her flame alight in theconstituencies. They include Ronald Reagan,Helmut Kohl, Paddy Ashdown, Michael Howard, Sebastian Coe, Boris Johnson,William Hague, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Esther Rantzen, David Davis, Liam Fox,Kemi Badenoch, Kirsty Wark, Gyles Brandreth, Roger Scruton, Salman Rushdie andmany more. Amusing, revealing, oftensympathetic and occasionally antagonistic, these observations combine to give aunique portrait of a remarkable woman.

Sir KeirStarmer made the leap from Leader of the Opposition to Prime Minister in onlyfour years, one of just a handful of politicians to have done so since 1945. Yetthe landslide majority that Labour secured under him in July 2024 has beendescribed as 'loveless' and his first months in Downing Street wereovershadowed by rows and controversies, turning what should have been apolitical honeymoon into a period of sustained turbulence. In this fullyrevised and updated edition of his 2021 biography, Michael Ashcroft traces how Starmerwent from schoolboy socialist to radical lawyer and Director of Public Prosecutionsbefore - aged fifty-two - becoming an MP, then Labour leader and ultimately theoccupant of No. 10. Revealingpreviously unknown details which help to explain what makes Starmer tick, this carefulexamination of Britain's first Labour Prime Minister for fourteen years offersvoters the chance to assess his character and his political instincts. Havingturned his party into an election-winning machine, his goal is to transformBritain into one of the most progressive states in the world. Does he have whatit takes to succeed?

The first meeting between Ernest Hemingwayand Orson Welles ended in thrown punches and exchanged insults. This mostunlikely of pairings would go on to have a tumultuous friendship that wouldlast for the next twenty-five years. Lyrical and unafraid to tackle thedifficulty of conveying the lives of two legendary self-mythologisers, thisfascinating literary biography explores their intersecting paths, passions andlove for Spain. Brought together by the Spanish Civil War and bound bybullfighting and the high life, Hemingway and Welles found their lives and artintertwining for more than two decades, as their fates gradually began tomirror one another. Pete Carvill, author of theacclaimed Death of a Boxer, uses extensive research and literaryflourish to bring to life this epic tale of two of the twentieth century's mostformidable figures.

In Western Europe, we typicallyassociate Vikings with the storm-tossed waters of the North Sea and the NorthAtlantic, the deep Scandinavian fjords and the attacks on the monasteries andsettlements of north-western Europe. This popular image rarely includes theriver systems of Russia and Ukraine, the wide sweep of the Eurasian steppe, thefar shores of the Caspian Sea, the incense and rituals of the Eastern OrthodoxChurch and the high walls and towers of the city of Constantinople. Yet formany Viking raiders, traders and settlers, it was the road to the East thatbeckoned. These Viking adventurers foundedthe Norse-Slavic dynasties of the Rus, which are entangled in the bitterlycontested origin myths of Russia and Ukraine. The Rus were the first communityin the region to convert to Christianity - in its Eastern Orthodox form - andso they are at the heart of the concept of 'Holy Russia'. Russian rulers havefrequently referenced these Norse origins when trying to enhance their powerand secure control over the Ukrainian lands, most recently demonstrated byVladimir Putin as his justification for seizing Crimea and invading Ukraine. In this fascinating and timelybook, historian Martyn Whittock explores the important but often misunderstoodand manipulated role played by the Vikings in the origins of Russian power, thedeadly consequences of which we are still living with today.

Atthe age of fifty, and despite feeling like he was betraying the adoptiveparents who loved him so much, journalist and broadcaster Andrew Pierce beganto tentatively search for his birth mother - only to discover that she had doneeverything she could to ensure he would never find her. Whenhe finally tracks her down, the mystery only deepens, leading him to Ireland toseek out information about the man who may or may not have been his father. During his search, Andrew discovers horrifying revelations about the orphanagewhere he had spent the first two years of his life and attempts to forge arelationship with the woman who gave him away. Thiscandid story is a heartwarming page-turner that takes the reader on anextraordinary journey. Full of amusing and arresting anecdotes, at its heartlies the inspirational story of one man's search for his birth mother and whathappened when he finally found her.

Duringnearly two decades in the adrenaline-filled, egotistical and stressful world ofParliament, Mark Field had a remarkable capacity for getting into high-profilescrapes - most famously in his close friendship with future Prime Minister LizTruss, his role in David Cameron's Piggate scandal and his skirmish with protestersat Mansion House. Fromhis first foray into student politics at Oxford, where he got to know David Miliband,Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove and Keir Starmer, to his years as a Foreign OfficeMinister alongside Boris Johnson and Rory Stewart, Mark casts an unsparing eyeover forty years of British political life. Crammed with vivid pen portraits ofsome of the most influential political figures of our age, this wry andincisive memoir also reflects candidly on the changes that have taken place inthe UK during Mark's lifetime. Recognisingthat his has been a golden generation that has benefited from a range ofopportunities now denied to younger Britons, Mark emphasises how ourunrealistic sense of exceptionalism risks holding us back from the urgent reformnow needed in so many of our institutions. Above all, he argues that post-Brexit,it is the Conservative Party's failure to ensure we take responsibility for ourown fate that has led to its rapid decline and fall.

Inthis compelling book, Martin Brunt, crime correspondent for Sky News, draws onthe most shocking and harrowing stories he's covered over the past thirty yearsto document the life of a crime reporter and assess the public obsession withcrime that his reporting caters for. He also considers the wider relationshipbetween the press and the police, the impact of social media and the questionof why some crimes are ignored while others grip the nation. Featuringundisclosed details on some of the biggest cases Brunt has covered, from the'Diamond Wheezers' to Fred and Rose West, this gripping blend of storytellingand analysis is not only a fascinating insight into the nature of crime reportingbut also a reflection on the purpose of the profession in the first place.

When MichaelHeseltine wrote his acclaimed autobiography, Life in the Jungle, heassumed his political career was over. He returned to Haymarket, his publishingbusiness, and intended to explore more of the world and pursue his passions outsidepolitics. Hisassumption was wrong. David Cameron called him, tentatively at first butgradually with increased responsibility, back to the corridors of power. This secondmemoir is a potpourri of reminiscences about Heseltine's life and previouslyunexplored aspects of his stellar political career. But the main reason for Heseltinetaking up his pen again has been to look back on the fundamental changes he wasable to mastermind while in government and to set out the policies that areurgently needed to unite the country by driving growth, increasing prosperityand restoring hope. He combines this with new revelations about the seismicWestland scandal, the establishment cover-up that caused him to resign fromMargaret Thatcher's Cabinet, and a damning assessment of what he considers thegrievous act of self-harm inflicted on Britain by Brexit. Thisextraordinary new memoir offers an urgent agenda to rebuild Britain from one ofour last great statesmen, who has been at the forefront of business andpolitics for the past sixty years.