Left Out

A stunningly good book with jaw-dropping revelations on every page, Left Out is the ultimate inside story of how Jeremy Corbyn went from the brink of victory to one of the worst defeats in British political history. It is both a breath-taking work of political journalism and a gripping first draft of history that is unlikely ever to be bettered. Unquestionably the political book of the year – TIM SHIPMAN, author of All Out WarAn outstanding, balanced account of the Corbyn leadership from 2017-2019. My one tip? Don’t read it late, you won’t be able to sleep because of the anger – Aaron BastaniDeeply reported … reads like a thriller … one of the more riveting stories in modern British political history … told with panache and pace … Gossip aside, Left Out delivers a piercing analysis of the pressures on Labour’s leadership as the party broke on the rocks of Brexit * Financial Times *Brimming with such jaw-dropping moments, forensically gleaned from interviews with virtually all the leading characters from this extraordinary political period … entertaining and immensely readable … the scars and grudges, captured magnificently by Pogrund and Maguire, are still fresh … The authors don’t attempt to take sides … instead they give ample space to both sides … to allow readers to make up their own minds … as sensational a tale as any TV drama … one of the most remarkable periods in British political history, and Left Out is an objective, fact-packed and fascinating record of it * Telegraph***** *It really is every bit as good as people say; superbly written, exceptionally detailed, scrupulously fair, but above all gripping. It’s hard to put down – Andrew Sparrow * Guardian *Meticulous and even-handed … The book’s detailed accounts of tension, fallings-out and the ingrained fondness for factional warfare on all sides of the Labour party often rock along – John Harris * Observer *Both a dark thriller and a farce … admirably objective … I have not read an account of the immediate past that is as thorough and balanced as that produced by Pogrund and Maguire … [they] open all the previously sealed doors that were installed to protect the fragile leader – Steve Richards * Literary Review *There are many eye popping revelations in Left Out, the definitive post mortem of the Corbyn project – Helen Lewis * Sunday Times *Full of good stories [and] genuine insights … well told and instructive … In their excellent epilogue the authors draw back the lens and offer a calm and acute analysis of the Corbyn Project – Philip Collins * Sunday Times *One of the most absorbing and compulsive reads I have encountered in years … Only by drawing on a huge range of willing sources could Pogrund and Maguire have produced such a rich narrative. It is to their immense credit that they produced such an amusing one * New European *

Gabriel Pogrund

Gabriel Pogrund is Whitehall Editor at the Sunday Times. He was named Journalist of the Year at the British Journalism Awards (2023). He won Scoop of the Year at the London Press Club Awards (2022) and was the Laurence Stern Fellow at the Washington Post in 2018.

Patrick Maguire

Patrick Maguire is a political columnist for The Times and senior political correspondent for Times Radio. He is a regular commentator on Labour politics for TV and radio and won the 2016 Anthony Howard Award for Young Journalists.