The Powers Behind the Prime Minister: The Hidden Influence of Number Ten

Dennis Kavanagh and Anthony Seldon's book gives a picture of the workings of prime ministerial power in Britain from 1970 onwards and throws the spotlight on those who work there. It examines the various units serving the Prime Minister, the powerful influence of officials, the tensions between civil servants and political aides, and it takes the reader through the six premierships from Ted Heath to Tony Blair. Kavanagh and Seldon have had unprecedented co-operation from senior civil servants and government insiders - both past and present - as well as from former Prime Ministers, secretaries and other Downing Street staff. As most of the period covered by the book still falls under the Thirty Year rule, it contains material that has never before been disclosed which sheds an illuminating new slant on much of the politics of the last forty years.

Dennis Kavanagh is Professor of Politics at the University of Liverpool.