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Out of the Blue

The inside story of the unexpected rise and rapid fall of Liz Truss

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Out of the Blue

By: Harry Cole, James Heale
Narrated by: Emily C
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About this listen

Liz Truss’s journey from schoolgirl revolutionary to Britain’s shortest-serving Prime Minister

The Sunday Times Politics Book of the Year A Guardian Politics Book of the Year 2023

‘An insightful and at times riotously entertaining account of the lengthy rise and abrupt fall of Britain’s 56th Prime Minister. What was intended as a prologue to her premiership is now a riveting political obituary in which every page drips with the seeds of both triumph and disaster. Cole and Heale have produced a meticulously reported account of Truss’s drive, impulsiveness, eccentricity and ideological certainty which reads like a warning from history. It has elements of tragedy but is frequently very, very funny.’ Tim Shipman

'Make sure you put your seat belt on. Heale and Cole put you in the passenger seat of the fastest car crash in recent political history. It's an unmissable romp through Liz Truss's long journey to the top, fuelled by ambition and espresso. The clues that foretold the extraordinary catastrophe are all there, as the authors reveal in gory detail how Liz Truss nearly had the last laugh, before finally, as her government imploded, the joke was on her.' Laura Kuenssberg

Despite being written off and mocked by even her closest colleagues, Liz Truss slowly but determinedly achieved her goal of taking over 10 Downing Street – only to instantly plunge her administration into chaos and announce her resignation after a record-breaking 44 days. How did she do it? And what exactly went so wrong?

With unrivalled access and insight, award-winning political journalists Harry Cole and James Heale provide the answers, drawing on interviews with Truss’s friends and supporters, as well as her worst critics and rivals, from Kwasi Kwarteng to Michael Gove.

Tracking Truss’s transformation from geeky teenage Lib Dem to Tory PM, with the inside scoop on her first – and only – month in office, Out of the Blue is the unmissable behind-the-scenes account of Britain’s shortest-serving Prime Minister.

©2022 Harry Cole, James Heale
Politicians Politics & Activism Politics & Government Presidents & Heads of State Women Women in Politics Middle East Liberalism

Critic reviews

‘Completely absorbing and, in places, astonishing. It is the story of a gigantic error, well told. And important lessons can be learnt.’ Daniel Finkelstein

‘Offers a masterful, behind-the-scenes perspective on a political farce that affected us all’ 4* Telegraph

‘An admirable, thorough and solid body of research’ Times

‘Its lively style and air of authority illuminates [Truss’s] failings … with some wit, insight and a well-informed ear for the telling detail’ Observer

‘An entertainingly written black comedy that reveals much about how we are governed’ The Critic

All stars
Most relevant
As per the heading, there is no insight, back story, interviewing of the key players from the sidelines etc in this book. It is effectively just a factual timeline that doesn't offer any opinion or wider context on what was a fascinating time in British politics.

Disappointing.

Timeline of facts with no insight

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A good listen to a piece of recent history but it's more or less a run through without much new detail or extra insight.

interesting but not a lot of new information

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Coming so soon after Truss exited Downing Street this is more "reporting" than a detailed history of her brief tenure. The history here is her rise to power and stories of her life and ever changing political views. For me the lesson we learn from this book is that the current class of PR obsessed, career politicians are a disaster for the wider electorate. The hubris, egotism and complete disaster demonstrated by her days in power should be a lesson to us all.

Long Form Reporting - Really Interesting

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Interesting and well told. A real chapter in history clearly set out . . . Lessons for all.

Worth a listen

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Not very well written, and takes a while to get going, especially in the early chapters. Some good stories during her time in the cabinet and especially deals done in the campaign.

Quite slow but gets better

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