‘BRILLIANT’ ANDREW MARR
‘MAJESTIC’ GUARDIAN
‘ESSENTIAL’ JON SOPEL
‘A CRACKING READ’ FINANCIAL TIMES
‘A SHARP INSIDER ACCOUNT’ NEW STATESMAN

The full inside story of fourteen years of Tory rule, from coalition to self-destruction.

In 2010 David Cameron’s Conservative Party came into power with a promise of stability. Fourteen years and five prime ministers later, the Tories have been swept away, divided and decimated. What went wrong?

From the ashes of a financial crisis to a break from the EU to a global pandemic, prime ministers have changed dramatically while the Tories remained in power. Merciless rebellions and the swift ousting of leaders enabled this, but the same ruthlessness ultimately brought about their downfall. Blue Murder links stories of betrayal in Cameron’s coalition, the travails of May, the sagas of Johnson, the Truss implosion and the Sunak spiral. Through his unique access and unmissable inside stories, Ben Riley-Smith’s thrilling account is essential for anyone wondering how the Tories carved out the political opportunity of a generation and then tore themselves apart.

PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AS THE RIGHT TO RULE.

‘HAD ME OPEN-MOUTHED WITH AMAZEMENT’ ED BALLS

‘ESSENTIAL‘ JON SOPEL

‘A GRIPPINGLY-WRITTEN, DETAILED BOOK THAT ANSWERS SO MANY QUESTIONS’ ISABEL HARDMAN

‘SUPERB’ EVAN DAVIS

The explosive full story of the past dozen years of Tory rule, from coalition to self-destruction.

Over the last decade, the British people have seen five different Conservative Prime Ministers, with five different missions and five messages to the nation. From the ashes of a financial crisis, to a break from the EU, to a global pandemic, governments – and ideologies – have changed, but Tory power has clung on. Merciless rebellion and the swift ousting of leaders have enabled this, and yet the same ruthlessness may ultimately bring about their downfall.

Witty, hair-raising and brilliantly sourced, The Right to Rule links as never before stories of betrayal in Cameron’s Coalition, the rifts behind the Referendum, the travails of May, the chaos of the pandemic, the sagas of Johnson, the Truss implosion and the Sunak patch-job.

Through his unique access and unmissable inside stories, acclaimed Westminster journalist Ben Riley-Smith’s explosive account is essential for anyone wondering how the Tories kept changing, kept revolting – and kept winning. This is the entertaining and dramatic account of our times, for anyone wondering how Britain got into this state.