Landslide: The Inside Story of the 2024 Election

by Tim Ross, Rachel Wearmouth

On 22 May 2024, Rishi Sunak stood outside 10 Downing Street and announced an early election, in an attempt to catch his opponents by surprise. Just minutes later, Tory hearts sank, with images of the Prime Minister soaking in the rain instantly defining his hapless campaign. The next six weeks delivered more mistakes, a betting scandal, apocalyptic Tory polls, bitter backroom arguments and finally the worst result in the Conservative Party's 190-year history.

Keir Starmer's Labour, meanwhile, stormed to victory with one of the biggest landslides on record after fourteen years in the wilderness. But the party won with its fewest votes in almost a decade, raising questions about how popular Starmer really was. Scotland's voters abandoned the SNP, Ed Davey's Lib Dems surged to their best election ever and Nigel Farage once again blew up the Conservative Party's plans.

This gripping account by seasoned Westminster journalists Tim Ross and Rachel Wearmouth tells the full inside story of the key tactics and powerful forces that delivered the most seismic upheaval in a generation. What role did Starmer's character play in his party's success? How did Labour's election machine engineer such a devastatingly efficient vote? Was there anything Sunak could have done to avert disaster? What does it all mean for the future of Britain?

Blending exclusive interviews and explosive accounts from key players, Landslide sets out to answer these questions and more, revealing a dramatic and sometimes disturbing picture of British politics at a turbulent time.

364 pages, Hardcover

First published November 21, 2024

Reviews

[Satya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing that this has been published (only) 4 months from the election!

Interesting to read the campaigns of not only the Tories and Labour but also the Lib Dems and Reforms. It would have also been nice to read a bit more about the Greens, however.

I cannot believe the potential nuclear option by the Tories. That is, there would have been no campaign, no more policies, and no manifesto. The Conservative message would have been to ask voters how big Labour's victory should be.

I do not know any precedent for this? I wonder if it would have worked any better?

[Simeon Pickup · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic overview of the election, including the run-up and immediate aftermath. Great balance of detail and momentum, giving lots of insight without getting overly bogged down. Very balanced too, widely avoiding getting drawn into more contentious points which could give the impression of political bias/leaning. Very very good.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating inside look at the events of the time. Surprisingly, riveting. Will definitely read again in a little while. Would recommend to anyone interested in this period of time .

[Leon Spence · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very easy and informative read. The only downside is that - inevitably - so much background information is anonymised meaning that it is impossible to reasonably evaluate the motivations for it being given in the first place.

I’m sure that this book will eventually form a part of a whole set of resources for evaluating the 2024 election.