The Not Quite Prime Ministers

History is written by the winners, they say. And more often than not, it is written about them too. A library’s worth of books have been published chronicling the UK’s Prime Ministers – those individuals who somehow made it to the top of the greasy pole of politics, however short or undistinguished their tenure.

But what about those who failed to make it? Leaders of the Opposition present themselves as the alternative Prime Minister, waiting in the wings, ready to move centre stage. Many of them have indeed gone on to take power. But many more have not. Who were these potential PMs? Why did they never reach the top job? Do they all deserve to be remembered as losers?

In this often wildly entertaining anthology, Dr Nigel Fletcher of the Centre for Opposition Studies brings together profiles of the opposition leaders who didn’t make it to No. 10, from Charles James Fox to Jeremy Corbyn. Packed to the brim with odd facts, amusing anecdotes and pub quiz trivia about each not quite Prime Minister, this compelling collection is a journey through British political history, bringing to life the figures from the other side of the political equation who had remained in the shadow of 10 Downing Street – until now.

Author Biography

Dr Nigel Fletcher is a political historian and has taught at King’s College London since 2017. He is the co-founder of the Centre for Opposition Studies, an independent research organisation that promotes the study of political opposition. In his previous career, he worked as a political adviser and was a councillor in the Royal Borough of Greenwich for many years, eventually serving as leader of the opposition until the electorate released him from the role in 2022. He previously edited How to Be In Opposition (Biteback, 2011) and now regularly writes and broadcasts on a range of political, historical and constitutional issues. He lives with his husband in London.