Chief of Staff

By: Gavin Barwell

Narrated by: Gavin Barwell

Once a more sedate affair, since 2016, British politics has witnessed a barrage of crises, resignations and general elections. As Brexit became logjammed, Theresa May's premiership was the most turbulent of all. In her darkest hour, following the disastrous 2017 election, she turned to Gavin Barwell to restore her battered authority. He would become her chief of staff for the next two years - a period punctuated by strained negotiations, domestic tragedy and intense political drama.

In this gripping insider memoir, Barwell reveals what really went on in the corridors of power - and sheds a vital light on May, the most inscrutable of modern prime ministers. He was by her side when she negotiated her Brexit deal, met Donald Trump, heard about the poisoning of the Skripals in Salisbury, responded to the Grenfell Tower fire, met Jeremy Corbyn and Keir Starmer to broker a cross-party Brexit agreement - and ultimately made the decision to stand down as prime minister. Revealing how government operates during times of crisis, this will become the definitive record of a momentous episode in Britain's recent political history.

©2021 Gavin Barwell (P)2021 W. F. Howes Ltd

Apologist's account

My review can be boiled down to three things:

1. The author likes lists like this. He also likes (open quotes) quotes (end quotes).
2. This is by a Remain supporter and thus shows an obvious bias.
3. The feeling is that the author is trying to rehabilitate Mrs May's (and, by extension, his own) poor reputation and choices. Comes across as a bit arrogant and self-congratulatory.

Still, as one insider perspective on the May government, it is a valuable and somewhat intriguing historical record.
Even better that the author himself narrates his own words.