Wigtown Book Festival

Harold Wilson was a popular prime minister whose approval rating rarely fell below 58%. But once he left office his reputation was sullied by the claim that he was “devious”. Former Home Secretary Alan Johnson has made the case for the defence in his pithy and insightful account of Wilson’s career. He also asks: “What might the new Labour government in Westminster learn from the old stager?”

About the author

Alan Johnson was a Labour MP for 20 years. He served in five cabinet positions in the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown including Education Secretary, Health Secretary and Home Secretary. Since then, his books have sold over 370,000 copies. They include award-winning childhood memoir This Boy and the sequels Please Mr Postman and The Long and Winding Road. His novels include The Late Train to Gipsy Hill and Death on the Thames. He and his wife, Carolyn, live in East Yorkshire.