Faces of labour

The Labour Party is poised to take over the reins of Britain's government at the next election. In this engaging book, which mixes original research and personal observation in equal parts, the Observer's political columnist Andy McSmith brings an expert eye to bear on the opposition's path to Number 10. The result is a fast-paced, gripping account of Labour's journey from a left dominated party, committed to the ideals of 19th century socialism, to the social democratic 'New Labour' of today. McSmith focuses on key individuals in the party whose careers cast a complex story into sharp relief. His choice of subjects is deliberately eclectic. It includes portraits of politicians like Peter Mandelson, Clare Short, David Blunkett, John Prescott and Tony Blair, who will play a leading role in any Labour government. But it also looks at those further away from the centre of power, who nonetheless contributed to Labour's political culture - people like ex-leader Neil Kinnock, Ted Grant, guru of the Militant Tendency, and the late Jim Murray, a Tyneside shop steward who, by a combination of pure chance and the power of the block vote, once held the future of Labour in his hands.