Great Britain?

If one wants to understand some of the best thinking in the governing Labour party … this is an invaluable analysis and a call to arms – Martin Wolf * FT Books of the Year, 2024 *A roadmap to the new normal … surprisingly hopeful … required reading for the new intake … this is an incisive, upbeat vision of how a Labour government could turn things around even in difficult times – Gaby Hinsliff * Observer *An economic blueprint for a Starmer administration * New Statesman *Bell is an excellent writer with a talent for putting things so clearly and crisply that they lodge easily in the brain … Although Bell is pretty bleak about Britain’s condition, he is refreshingly optimistic about our chances of catching up with our peers – Emma Duncan * The Times *This is stellar: brilliant, incredibly pragmatic and serious about the country we are. It presents a wonderful opportunity for an incoming government. – Rory StewartSpiced with wit, this is a masterful, fact-packed indictment of modern Britain after its decade of decline. But there is also hope and optimism in its practical prescription for a great social and economic restoration. – Polly ToynbeeA refreshingly honest and nuanced analysis of our economic decline, and a clear-headed appraisal of what needs to be done to pull ourselves out of it – MoneyWeekFascinating stuff - recommended reading – Henry ManceNo one has done more to re-inject sanity into our national policy debates – Torsten Bell writes with optimism and clarity about the things we are getting right, as well as the stuff we should be desperate to improve. Authoritative, forensic and humane – a critical voice for our troubled times. – Emily MaitlisAn incisive, challenging and brilliantly researched agenda to deliver what Britain needs: inclusive and sustainable growth. – Gordon BrownOne of the prime intellectual influences on the new administration … with characteristic verve and clarity … the author is driven by facts, which he is extremely good at marshalling, and by an acute sense of fairness – Will Hutton * Times Literary Supplement *A superb, detailed account of Britain’s failure to invest – in infrastructure and people. It’s also, ultimately, full of optimism. – Geoff Barton“Essential background reading” doesn’t do justice to the brilliant Torsten Bell. Everyone - Labour or not - should read this book if they care about our country. – Tom Baldwin * author of Keir Starmer: The Biography *Pretty cool … the think tank work I raved about on The Rest Is Politics has morphed into a book!! – Alastair CampbellAn economic playbook for the incoming UK government – Professor John TurnerPragmatic … Great Britain? is full of policy detail … Bell makes the argument for immediate, concrete change on both principled and political grounds … Bell argues convincingly that Labour needs to go further and faster to deliver concrete improvements in people’s lives. As he concludes, “Problems will not vanish overnight – yet, as we start investing in our own future, the clouds that hover over Britain will lift far more swiftly than we might realise.” Keir Starmer should listen. – Jonathan Portes * Guardian *Torsten Bell has produced a brilliant analysis of the politics of pessimism in which the UK is currently mired and shows us how we can begin to arrest, then reverse, our dispiriting torpor. He is also that rare thing – an economist who can write for non-experts. The country must cherish him – and ask for more. – Peter HennessyA devastating account of the moth-eaten state of Britain. But it’s not all gloom. We can fix this, he argues. – Summer Reads of 2024 * Sunday Times *Finally – an exciting, positive agenda to restore growth, reduce inequality and rebuild the social contract in Britain. – Minouche ShafikHugely informative … a plausible project of renewing Britain through public investment – Will Podmore * Morning Star *

Torsten Bell is the Labour MP for Swansea West, and the former Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation, an economic research charity working to raise the living standards of households on low to middle incomes.

Prior to leading the Resolution Foundation, Torsten worked in HM Treasury, as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers during the financial crisis, and as Director of Policy for the Labour Party. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, trustee of the Child Poverty Action Group and an Honorary Professor at UCL. He has a weekly column in The Observer.