One Of Our Ministers Is Missing

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Alan Johnson served in the Blair and Brown government’s as Work and Pensions Secretary, Trade and Industry Secretary, Education Secretary, Health Secretary and Home Secretary.

Having left school aged 15 and failed in his attempts to become a rock star, he joined the Post Office as a postman and became a local official of the Union Of Post Office Workers rising through the ranks to eventually become the Union’s youngest ever General Secretary in 1992. Five years later he became the Member of Parliament for Hull West and Hessle, a position he held through five general elections standing down when the 2017 election was called.

Join Alan as you read through his memoirs to experience his life in the slums Kensington during the post-war 50’s through to reaching one of the highest offices of State.

The Mangan Series

Alan’s Memoirs

Recent Posts

Wes Streeting

Coming straight to Cheltenham from Labour’s conference in Liverpool, Wes Streeting joined me at Cheltenham Town Hall on Thursday afternoon to discuss his ‘memoir of growing up and getting on’. Wes took a packed audience through the book’s intriguing title ‘One Boy,...

Polly Toynbee

At Cheltenham interviewing Polly Toynbee about her fascinating new book, ‘An Uneasy Inheritance’.  In part a biography of her distinguished antecedents, part memoir, part social history with a smattering of polemic, the book took Polly ten years to write. Whilst...

Henley Literary Festival

As you can see, they like big sofas at Henley. I was here last year with my latest book and hope to be back next year when ‘Death on the Thames’ will be published, (particularly as Henley is one of the most beautiful ‘on-Thames’ towns). But this year I’m here...

Interviewed by Ken Powell

I had the good fortune to be interviewed by Ken Powell at the Northern Arts Review. You can read the Ken's articles here: https://northernartsreview.co.uk/interviews/interview-with-alan-johnson/  

Hull’s memorial to lost Trawlermen

After more than twenty years, Hull’s memorial to lost trawlermen has finally been opened on St Andrew’s Quay. I was honoured to be asked to speak at the opening ceremony on Sunday, September 24th. Here I am the day before at the entrance to the memorial garden which...

Summer Newsletter

I’m writing this in Crete, drinking a toast to you the reader from a taverna on the shores of the Libyan sea. We’re in Agia Gallini, where ‘One of Our Ministers is Missing’ is partially set. Indeed, one of my pleasant tasks on this trip is to present a copy of the...

Chancellor of the University of Hull

On Monday I had the honour of being installed as Chancellor of the University of Hull.  Over the following four days I presented 2418 degrees to students in a range of departments including the Hull York Medical School.   My role is purely ceremonial but it was...

Probus Club

It’s a very rare occasion when I have to wear a tie these days. In Parliament it was a requirement. A gentleman (the loose description for male MPs) could not enter the chamber of the House of Commons without a tie, or a jacket for that matter. The rules have eased a...

Books By The Beach – Scarborough

On a glorious summer Saturday we drive from our part of East Yorkshire to Scarborough in North Yorkshire for one of our very favourite book festivals. Books By The Beach is always such fun because it reflects the personality of it’s driving force - Heather French....

Newsletter: Spring 2023

The next Mangan novel (the third in the series) is to be published in Spring 2024. I’ve written 70,000 words with another 10,000 to go, so it could have just about been ready for a September 2023 launch but my publisher (Wildfire) sensibly decided to leave more time...