Kind of Blue: A Political Memoir

Ken Clarke has had a ringside seat in British politics for almost five decades, though his position on the left of the Conservative party led Margaret Thatcher to question his true blue credentials and his passionate commitment to the European project cost him the leadership not once but three times. In this long-awaited memoir, Clarke charts his remarkable progress from working-class boy to high political office; his trenchant observations and candid account of life both in and out of government will enthral readers of all political persuasions. Vivid, witty and forthright, and taking its title not only from his politics but from his beloved Miles Davis, Kind of Blue is political memoir at its very best.

'Like a fine old wine, this book is to be savoured . . . It is resplendent with amusing anecdotes and it leaves the reader wanting more' Iain Dale

'Vivid . . . full of amusing pen portraits of Clarke's political colleagues' The Times

'Amid a sea of plastic politicians, Ken Clarke stands out as a man who put his principles before power - as his all too human memoir reveals' Daily Mail

'Vivid and detailed . . . it is hard not to finish it with a sense that Clarke had the unusual quality of mostly having been right about anything he set his mind to' Spectator