What Went Wrong with Britain?: An Audit of Tory Failure - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 152617037X ISBN 13: 9781526170378

Publisher: Manchester University Press, 2025

Synopsis

A unflinching audit of the damage done by fourteen years of Conservative government.

What went wrong with Britain? presents a comprehensive account of the devastating legacy left by the Conservative government. Shining a light into every dark corner, the book exposes the full extent of the damage inflicted on the country’s economy, social fabric and political integrity.

When the Conservatives were voted out of government in July 2024, they left behind a miserable record of rising poverty, inequality and division. This book reveals the forces that have driven the country to the point of crisis, from austerity and economic mismanagement to sheer political dysfunction. Each chapter offers new insights into the far-reaching consequences of government policies that prioritised ideology, personal ambition and party politics over the public good.

Examining the rise of populism, the politics of Brexit, the UK’s response to the pandemic and the steady erosion of public trust, this shocking account of the legacy of Conservative government from 2010 to 2024 is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand exactly what went wrong with Britain.

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About this title

About the Author

Steven Kettell is an Associate Professor in Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick

From the Back Cover

'Passionate, provocative and timely.'
Tim Bale, author of The Conservative Party after Brexit

'Provides important and acute assessments of what went wrong under the Conservatives.'
Anand Menon, co-author of Brexit and British Politics

'A uniquely comprehensive guide to the ruins that are collapsing all around us.'
David Whyte, author of Ecocide: Kill the Corporation Before It Kills Us

What went wrong with Britain? presents a comprehensive account of the devastating legacy left by the Conservative government. Shining a light into every dark corner, the book exposes the full extent of the damage inflicted on the country's economy, social fabric and political integrity.

When the Conservatives were voted out of government in July 2024, they left behind a miserable record of rising poverty, inequality and division. This book reveals the forces that have driven the country to the point of crisis, from austerity and economic mismanagement to sheer political dysfunction.
Examining the rise of populism, the politics of Brexit, the UK's response to the pandemic and the steady erosion of public trust, this shocking account of the legacy of Conservative governmentsß from 2010 to 2024 is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand exactly what went wrong with Britain.

Steven Kettell is a Reader in Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick

Peter Kerr is an Associate Professor in Politics at the University of Birmingham

Daniela Tepe is a Senior Lecturer in Political Economy at the University of Liverpool

£20.00

Edition details

• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 152617037X
• ISBN 13: 9781526170378
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 366
• Editor: Kettell Steven, Kerr Peter, Tepe Daniela