Publications

By Lord Ashcroft

Due to be published on 27 September 2021.

The Unauthorised Biography of Sir Keir Starmer.

By Michael Ashcroft.

Sir Keir Starmer has played many parts during his life and career. He went from schoolboy socialist to radical lawyer before surprising many by joining the establishment, first as Director of Public Prosecutions and then, in 2015, as an MP. At Westminster, he was swiftly elevated to the shadow cabinet and, in April 2020, became leader of the Labour Party.

But what makes him tick? Is the architect of Labour’s second-referendum Brexit policy – which was considered a big factor in its worst electoral defeat for nearly a century – really able to win back red wall voters? Is he the voice of competence and moderation who can put Labour back on the political map? Or is he just a member of the metropolitan elite who is prepared to say and do whatever it takes to win favour?

In Red Knight, Michael Ashcroft goes in search of the man who wants to be Prime Minister.

• Hardback, 352 pages
• ISBN: 9781785906961
• 27 September 2021
  Available to pre-order
• £20.00

• eBook
• ISBN: 9781785906978
• 27 September 2021
  Available to pre-order
• £14.99

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By Lord Ashcroft

American politics beyond the 2020 election.

By Michael Ashcroft.

Joe Biden’s victory in 2020 was a remarkable end to four tumultuous years. But beyond removing Donald Trump from the White House, what is the mandate that the new President’s voters expect him to fulfil? Can he meet the expectations of the biggest electoral coalition in American history? How did Trump expand his support to win more votes than any previous Republican? And what are the chances of a new era of consensus and unity in America after years of division? Drawing on four years of groundbreaking research among voters across the United States, Lord Ashcroft examines the success of Biden, the appeal of Trumpism, and the prospects for the next chapter in American politics.

• Paperback, 112 pages
• ISBN: 9781785906800
• 20 January 2021
  Available to pre-order
• £10.00

• eBook
• ISBN: 9781785906824
• 20 January 2021
  Available to pre-order
• £5.00

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By lordashcroft.com

The Rise of Rishi Sunak.

Three years ago, Rishi Sunak was an unknown junior minister in the Department of Local Government. By the age of thirty-nine, he was Chancellor of the Exchequer, grappling with the gravest economic crisis in modern history.

Michael Ashcroft’s new book charts Sunak’s ascent from his parents’ Southampton pharmacy to Oxford University, the City of London, Silicon Valley – and the top of British politics.

It is the tale of a super-bright and hard-grafting son of immigrant parents who marries an Indian heiress and makes a fortune of his own; a polished urban southerner who wins over the voters of rural North Yorkshire – and a cautious, fiscally conservative financier who becomes the biggest-spending Chancellor in history.

Sunak was unexpectedly promoted to the Treasury’s top job in February 2020, with a brief to spread investment and opportunity as part of Boris Johnson’s ‘levelling up’ agenda. Within weeks, the coronavirus had sent Britain into lockdown, with thousands of firms in peril and millions of jobs on the line. As health workers battled to save lives, it was down to Sunak to save livelihoods. This is the story of how he tore up the rulebook and went for broke.

• Hardback, 304 pages
• ISBN: 9781785906374
• 12 November 2020
  Available to pre-order
• £20.00

• eBook
• ISBN: 9781785906381
• 12 November 2020
  Available to pre-order
• £14.99

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By Lord Ashcroft

An exposé of South Africa’s captive-bred lion industry.

By Michael Ashcroft.

In April 2019 Lord Ashcroft published the results of his year-long investigation into South Africa’s captive-bred lion industry. Over 11 pages of a single edition of the Mail on Sunday he showed why this sickening trade, which involves appalling cruelty to the ‘King of the Savannah’ from birth to death, has become a stain on the country.

Unfair Game, published on 16 June 2020, features the shocking results of a new inquiry Lord Ashcroft has carried out into South Africa’s lion business. In the book, he shows how tourists are unwittingly being used to support the abuse of lions; he details how lions are being tranquilised and then hunted in enclosed spaces; he urges the British government to ban imports of captive-bred lion trophies; and he demonstrates why Asia’s insatiable appetite for lion bones has become a multi-million dollar business linked to criminality and corruption which now underpins South Africa’s captive lion industry.

• Paperback, 320 pages
• ISBN: 9781785906114
• 16 June 2020

• eBook
• ISBN: 9781785906121
• 16 June 2020

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By Lord Ashcroft

Labour’s turn to smell the coffee.

By Michael Ashcroft.

2019 saw the Labour Party meet its fourth consecutive general election defeat, and its worst since 1935. Arguing that it is vital for Labour to regroup if it is to offer a serious alternative government, Lord Ashcroft draws on extensive research among real voters – especially those who have moved away from Labour in former heartland seats now represented in Parliament by the Tories. Diagnosis of Defeat explores the reasons for this extraordinary result and offers a frank and uncompromising portrait of the Labour Party as it is seen today.
 
 

• Paperback, 80 pages
• ISBN: 9781785906190
• Published 2 March 2020

Available to order now

By Lord Ashcroft

The Unauthorised Biography of Jacob Rees-Mogg.

By Michael Ashcroft.

Jacob Rees-Mogg is one of the most prominent and controversial figures in contemporary British politics. He is a man who divides opinion in his own party, in Parliament and across the country.

An arch-Brexiteer with significant business interests and a large personal fortune, he has long been a vocal critic of the European Union and of Prime Minister Theresa May’s attempts to negotiate a Brexit deal. As chairman of the powerful anti-EU organisation the European Research Group, he has also been a thorn in the side of those seeking to dilute Brexit.

While many people mock him for his impeccable manners and traditional attitudes – he has been dubbed ‘the Honourable Member for the eighteenth century’ – an equally great number applaud him for his apparent conviction politics. Undoubtedly, Rees-Mogg stands out among the current crop of MPs and his growing influence cannot be ignored.

In this wide-ranging unauthorised biography of the Conservative Member of Parliament for North East Somerset, Michael Ashcroft, bestselling author of Call Me Dave: The Unauthorised Biography of David Cameron, turns his attention to one of the most intriguing politicians of our time.

• Hardback, 352 pages
• ISBN: 9781785904875
• Published 10 September 2019

• eBook
• ISBN: 9781785905315
• Published 10 September 2019

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By Lord Ashcroft

American public opinion midway through Trump’s (first?) term – and the race to 2020.

By Michael Ashcroft

The start of 2019 is midway between the last presidential inauguration and the next – but will it also prove the halfway point in Donald Trump’s presidency?

Following up Hopes and Fears, which set out in compelling detail why America sent Trump to the White House, Half-Time! brings together two years of groundbreaking research, exploring what the voters make of the President’s agenda and character, how they see the issues at stake and – with voices at the far ends of the political spectrum set to dominate the debate – how they are lining up for the 2020 election.

• Paperback, 96 pages
• ISBN: 9781785904974
• Published 29 January 2019

• eBook
• ISBN: 9781785904981
• Published 29 January 2019

Available to order now

By lordashcroft.com

An Examination of Britain’s Modern-Day Defence Capability.

By Michael Ashcroft and Isabel Oakeshott.

Britain is at a crossroads. As we leave the EU, we face a great challenge and also the opportunity to forge a new identity in an increasingly uncertain world. Our Armed Forces will be critical to our power and prosperity. (more…)

By Lord Ashcroft

In late 2012 Lord Ashcroft was appointed the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Veterans’ Transition. At that time the apparent plight of Service Leavers was much discussed in the media, highlighted by some charities and of concern in government. Lord Ashcroft’s interest in the Forces and their charities, military history and courage provided the background to the appointment, and he was in a position to bring a completely independent approach as he held no candle for any particular body.

To give the appointment real meaning Lord Ashcroft decided to conduct a detailed review of the transition of Service personnel into civilian life, setting up a small team which, over the course of a year, met every organisation that had a stake in this field, conducted further surveys and held discussions with government departments. The result was The Veterans’ Transition Review, published in February 2014. It set out some 43 substantial recommendations of which the government agreed to implement 40; two of the others could be achieved in a different way and the third, concerning Northern Ireland, remains unresolved. In agreement with Oliver Letwin, who was leading and coordinating the government’s effort, Lord Ashcroft said he would publish follow-up reports annually to monitor progress.

This is the third annual follow up report to The Veterans’ Transition Review.

Download the full report here.

Read the research summary to this report.

Visit VeteransTransition.co.uk for more information

By Lord Ashcroft

The 2017 general election was supposed to be a walkover for the Conservative Party – but the voters had other ideas. In The Lost Majority, Lord Ashcroft draws on his unique research to explain why the thumping victory the Tories expected never happened: what real voters made of the campaign, why Britain refused Theresa May’s appeal for a clear mandate to negotiate Brexit, where the party stands after more than a decade of ‘modernisation’ – and the Tories’ mammoth task of building a winning coalition when 13 million votes is not enough for victory.

To purchase ‘The Lost Majority’ click here