Gavin Barwell had a front row seat to a crucial time for the country. He recounts his time there with passion, insight and an admirable detachment. Highly recommended

Gavin Barwell, the author and narrator, was a Conservative MP and housing minister who after losing his seat in Theresa May's snap election, was brought deeper into the government by being appointed her Chief of Staff. My political views aren't entirely aligned with his - I've never voted Conservative and am very unlikely ever to do so (I'm more of a liberal - centre-left on society and centre-right on the economy), but we are both unionists and Remainers.

Though not a Tory voter, I've always felt Theresa May was a principled and fair leader, values mostly missing in modern politics. She was a good Home Secretary, standing up to the police federation, and would've made a decent prime minister - she just happened to have the top job at the wrong time. During the Brexit negotiations, too much politicking and lack of cross party compromise ensured she was holding the poisoned chalice.

The book mostly covers the scheming during the Brexit withdrawal agreement. The EU had to ensure Brexit was a failure to deter other states from leaving. The House of Commons was split three-ways: between those who wanted a second referendum, those who wanted a soft Brexit with close EU ties, and those who wanted a hard Brexit with a clean break from the EU. And those factions were again split on party-lines. Plus the speaker of the house wasn't being the impartial chairman that the role required. All this together meant that any vote would fail, as there was never enough consensus to pass a bill. Gavin covers this well, giving opinions from both sides, and gives that behind the scenes view that the mainstream media is unable to deliver.

He also covers the Salisbury attack, Trump, the weaknesses of Corbyn, and a bit of gossip along the way.

The most interesting section is the conclusion, where he covers the what-ifs and the summary of where we are with Brexit. May was keen to ensure that the union survived, and all her negotiations centred around that. But polls amongst the Tory party reported that over 60% would still want Brexit even if it meant Scottish independence, with a similar percentage not caring about disruption to the Northern Ireland peace deal, and the same again wanting Brexit even if it meant the breakup of the Tory party itself - to them, all that mattered was getting Brexit done. Paradoxically, if the Scots do hold a second independence referendum, Johnson and Sturgeon would campaign inversely to their Brexit campaigns - in Brexit, Johnson demanded sovereignty and home rule while Sturgeon argued we're better together!

A detailed account of a disruptive time in British politics, with Theresa May coming across as a genuine civil servant who cares about societal inequalities. It's telling that when losing the premiership, she didn't go into the private sector to earn big bucks like other politicians who are more concerned about their brand than the nation they served - she remained, and still remains, a back-bench MP. Well worth a listen (it comes across as a discussion rather than a reading), and a solid 5 stars!

Book supplied by Netgalley for an honest review.

Gavin Barwell is a British politician who was appointed Chief of Staff to then Prime Minister Theresa May shortly after losing his seat as Member of Parliament for Croydon Central, in 2017. Before losing his seat he’d held the role of Minister of State for Housing and Planning. In this book he focuses on his time working for May and primarily on her attempts to agree a Brexit deal with the European Union that she then hoped to get accepted by the British Parliament.

I was aware of Barwell although in his role as CoS he was very much a background figure during May’s reign – political advisers being banned from giving interviews by their Code of Conduct. Here he initially provides quite a bit of detail about how the parliamentary machine works - somewhat interesting but bone dry – before launching into accounts of the major issues his boss had to address during her time as PM. At the top of the list was her desire (need) to ‘deliver’ Brexit. Secondary issues, but nonetheless major challenges in their own right, were: Grenfell, MeToo and Windrush and Northern Ireland.

Barnwell, who narrates the audio version I listened to himself, comes across as driven, highly intelligent and loyal. He also had a few good stories to tell, some light-hearted in-fill before the serious business to come. His accounts of how the secondary issues were addressed felt a bit too procedural for my personal taste, with lots of political language and bullet pointed actions. I found the content, though, very interesting and, at times, highly illuminating. But the real meat in the pie is his lengthy description of the Brexit negotiations and the wrangling with fellow politicians (in his own party as much as the opposition) and with officials from the EU.

Although anyone who owned a television or a phone through that period couldn’t help but find much of the detail familiar, it was the hidden haggling and arguing that I found particularly fascinating. This element certainly put a new slant on some of the key moments in that period and showed up just how self-serving so many politicians are – Boris, in particular, comes across very badly in this regard (no real surprise there). Another feeling I had reinforced is that of how manipulative politicians can be – again, not a surprise but it didn’t feel good to be reminded of the fact. There were also lies, deceit and backstabbing aplenty – and that was just amongst May's own team!

Some of the closing thoughts in the book relate to what might have happened with regard to Brexit if a few things had gone slightly differently. This is sobering stuff and demonstrated to me how small acts can have such significant consequences. Overall I found this to be an interesting account of a key period of political history for the UK. Unedifying as it sometimes is it’s how politics works, how big decisions are reached and how key impacts on all of us come about.

Modern politics is a maelstrom. I voted not to join the EC in the early 1970s. I’ve experienced the way Britain has been influenced and changed by Europe and the recent years of wrangling over Brexit have been both fascinating and frustrating.

I’ve enjoyed Anthony Seldon’s inside number 10 biographies; honest and fascinating. I thought Gavin Barwell’s experience as Chief of Staff during one of the most turbulent and perplexing periods in British politics might provide a unique insight. I confess, when I saw he was narrating, my heart sank a little as authors are not necessarily the best narrators. But he’s brilliant. Easy to listen to and I was immediately drawn in to his detailed and varied experiences.

I really like his approach. He takes themes, such as Brexit, Grenville Tower, Northern Ireland, security, Cabinet reshuffles etc and follows each through with precision and clarity.

It’s difficult to understand the machinations and workings of Westminster. His unique position allows the reader to see behind closed doors and fully understand how Government really works. His account is based on extensive contemporaneous notes and feels honest and accurate. There are numerous revelations about petty mindedness, deceit, manipulation and more, but they’re recounted without rancour or point scoring. I’ve gained huge insight into the background of many decisions which seemed bizarre and which caused the downfall of the May administration. She will be remembered as the PM who failed to deliver. That’s a disservice as Gavin reveals the plotting, backstabbing and worse that made her position untenable. The book confirms my view that, whatever her shortcomings, we lost a leader with integrity, commitment to the electorate and her party.

I’d urge anyone with an interest in politics, current events or social history to read Chief of Staff. It’s a book with heart and it’s a real fly on the wall revelation.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.