From Acorns to Oaks

When MichaelHeseltine wrote his acclaimed autobiography, Life in the Jungle, heassumed his political career was over. He returned to Haymarket, his publishingbusiness, and intended to explore more of the world and pursue his passions outsidepolitics.

Hisassumption was wrong. David Cameron called him, tentatively at first butgradually with increased responsibility, back to the corridors of power.

This secondmemoir is a potpourri of reminiscences about Heseltine's life and previouslyunexplored aspects of his stellar political career. But the main reason for Heseltinetaking up his pen again has been to look back on the fundamental changes he wasable to mastermind while in government and to set out the policies that areurgently needed to unite the country by driving growth, increasing prosperityand restoring hope. He combines this with new revelations about the seismicWestland scandal, the establishment cover-up that caused him to resign fromMargaret Thatcher's Cabinet, and a damning assessment of what he considers thegrievous act of self-harm inflicted on Britain by Brexit.

Thisextraordinary new memoir offers an urgent agenda to rebuild Britain from one ofour last great statesmen, who has been at the forefront of business andpolitics for the past sixty years.

"How theConservative Party could do with Michael Heseltine, one of the greateststatesmen of the post-war era, at this dismal moment in its fortunes. Britaintoo. Everyone should read this book and pay attention - there is no voice thatshould be listened to more. Heseltine is a good writer, full of wisdom, and hisvoice comes through loud and clear on every page." Peter Oborne, author of TheAssault on Truth

"MichaelHeseltine is an extraordinary person and it is a pleasure to spend 400 pages inhis company. This book is a delight. It's for anyone who wants to know how toget things done, anyone who admires people who stick to their principles andanyone who just wants a first-hand account of politics from a masterpractitioner." Daniel Finkelstein, columnist, The Times

"MichaelHeseltine's restless, creative mind puts other politicians to shame - as doesthis priceless testimony of public service." Patrick Maguire, columnist, TheTimes

"MichaelHeseltine has been one of the outstanding British politicians of the last fiftyyears and one of the most influential Conservatives, who has understood how asuccessful Conservative Party should behave in and out of government. If morepeople had listened to him, Britain would have avoided many of the problems ofthe last few years and would be in a much better position today at home, inEurope and in the world." Chris Patten, chairman of the Conservative Party1990-92 and chancellor of the University of Oxford 2003-24

"Through thissecond memoir, Michael Heseltine reveals why he was such a unique, towering andinfluential figure in post-war British society, not driven by personal ambitionor party loyalty but by a lifetime of conviction about what has been missingfrom efforts to restore Britain. After seven decades on the front line ofpolitics, business and even the natural environment, he draws personal andpolitical lessons that are utterly contemporary." Patrick Wintour, diplomaticeditor, The Guardian

LordHeseltine was a Member of Parliament from 1966 to 2001. He was a Cabinetminister in various departments from 1979 to 1986 and from 1990 to 1997. He wasDeputy Prime Minister between 1995 and 1997. He is founder of the HaymarketGroup, a privately owned media company.

In 2015, LordHeseltine was appointed by the government as an adviser to the Secretary ofState for Communities and Local Government. Within this remit, he was chair ofthe Thames Estuary 2050 Growth Commission and co-chair of the EstateRegeneration Advisory Panel. His work for the government came to an end in2017. In 2018, he published his reply to the government's industrial strategygreen paper, titled 'Industrial Strategy', and later published a report ondevolution, 'Empowering English Cities'. He was president of the EuropeanMovement from June 2019 to November 2024.

LordHeseltine's previous books include The Challenge of Europe, hispolitical autobiography Life in the Jungle and Thenford: The Creationof an English Garden (co-written with Lady Heseltine). LordHeseltine is an enthusiastic gardener and a vice-president of the RoyalHorticultural Society.

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