Damian Collins OBE is the Member of Parliament for Folkestone and Hythe. He is a former Minister for Tech and the Digital Economy and was previously Chair of the House of Commons select committee for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and Chair of the Joint Lords and Commons Parliamentary Committee on the Online Safety Bill. His first book was Charmed Life: The Phenomenal World of Philip Sassoon, published by William Collins in 2016. He wrote the chapter on Lloyd George for Iain Dale’s book, The Prime Ministers, published by Hodder in 2020. In the same series he has written about Theodore Roosevelt in The Presidents (Hodder 2021), and Edward VIII in Kings and Queens (Hodder 2023). In addition, he has written for a number of publications, including The Times, Daily Telegraph, New York Times, Irish Times, Guardian, Daily Mail and Wired.
A fascinating, provocative, timely reflection from the inside of politics on how Lloyd George’s rhetoric, intuition, blarney, and wit often grasped what the professionals missed. And why amateurs can – sometimes at least – save the day. * Rory Stewart * David Lloyd George was the dynamo who won the Great War after overthrowing his party leader in a vicious political coup, and who was six years later overthrown the same way. The most charismatic and energetic figure of his era, he had to deal with powerful generals who distrusted him, coalition allies who disliked him, and a monarch who only slowly came round to him. In this deeply researched and intensely readable book, Damian Collins shows the inner man, and how he navigated the great crises of his country, and ultimately of civilization. * Andrew Roberts, author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny * A fascinating book with a gripping narrative. Lloyd George is very well portrayed; a great leader who deserves his statue in Parliament Square. I enjoyed this book enormously and learned a lot. * Tom Bower, author of Boris Johnson: The Gambler * Brilliantly researched. Collins’s book gives us a memorable overview of what was being discussed, urgently and sometimes furiously, in the club dining rooms and country house in which Lloyd George dined, his mind always focused on one thing: how to secure total victory. * Daily Mail * Engagingly written and professionally researched. * Times Literary Supplement * If you want optimism and hope in politics, it is incredible. * Rory Stewart on The Rest is Politics podcast * A beautifully written page turner. * Aspects of History * Superb. * Daily Express *