Clement Attlee

Labour's greatest ever Prime Minister is seen afresh in this concise and illuminating account. Attlee's government did not simply respond to hardship; it reshaped the state, creating the NHS, extending welfare and redefining the relationship between citizen and country.

As Jason Cowley, former editor of the New Statesman, attests, Attlee's revolution was understated, but its effects proved enduring - a reminder that long-lasting social and political change are more achievable than we often think.