The Blairs and Their Court - Tapa dura

Who is Tony Blair? What does he really believe? And what about Cherie Booth - often considered the real brains in the partnership, and a crucial influence over her husband? The authors of this book unveil the people and experiences that have shaped the Blairs' beliefs from their early years to the present day. They explain how Blair grabbed Labour's nomination for the safe seat of Sedgefield in 1983, and how he executed his leadership coup after John Smith's unexpected death. They examine the powerful Blair 'court' - and trace the real story of Blair's relationships with George W. Bush, with the royal family, with Mandelson and Campbell, with the multi-millionaires who have supported his leadership. And they ask whether the government's actions have really been compatible with its leader's proclaimed beliefs. No one who reads this book will view our Prime Minister in the same way again.

Francis Beckett is a freelance writer and the author of a widely acclaimed biography of Clement Attlee. David Hencke is the Westminster correspondent for the Guardian, and an investigative journalist whose many exclusives include the sensational affair of Peter Mandelson's mortgage.