THE SEARCHERS

From the acclaimed author of Promised You a Miracle and When the Lights Went Out the untold story of British politics in modern times through the triumphs and disasters of its five most radical figures A breath of fresh air a vivid eye for detail meets narrative pacing that seems effortless Morgan Jones LabourList An absorbing history of Labour s radical left Jason Cowley Observer The Searchers should be studied closely by anyone with a stake in British politics Patrick Maguire The TimesIn the great revolutionary year of 1968 Tony Benn was a respectable Labour minister in his forties and he was restless While new social movements were shaking up Britain and much of the world Westminster politics seemed stuck It was time he decided for a different approach Over the next half century the radicalized Benn helped forge a new left in Britain He was joined by four other politicians who would become comrades collaborators and rivals Ken Livingstone John McDonnell Diane Abbott and Jeremy Corbyn For Andy Beckett the story of these admired and loathed political explorers both their sudden breakthroughs and long stretches in the wilderness is the untold story of British politics in modern times As he reveals their project to create a radically