‘’F *** ing brilliant. I would describe it as like a bag of political nuts – moreish and fabulously salty’ JOE LYCETT

A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR

Planes, Trains and Toilet Doors is an entertaining and original tour through the highs and lows of British political history and the unlikely places that have decided our national fate.

Forget the skirmishes of Westminster and PMQs, some of the major events that have shaped modern British politics happened not in the closed rooms of parliament or myriad corridors of Downing Street, but in locations such as car parks, villages, and seaside resorts where the everyday met the powerful. From the duel of Pitt the Younger on Putney Heath to finding a voice coach for Margaret Thatcher on a train, the 'Scilly' holidays of Harold Wilson, and John Major's dentist appointment that paved his way to No10 – these (and many more) are the places where chance encounters, untimely deaths, and drastic, sometimes ridiculous, decisions changed the course of politics.

Matt Chorley has spent nearly two decades covering Westminster, interviewing prime ministers, mocking ministers, and chronicling the serious, and sometimes accidentally ridiculous, events that act as unlikely twists in the direction of a nation. Illustrated by award-winning political cartoonist Morten Morland, Planes, Trains and Toilet Doors combines Matt's insider knowledge, clever analysis, and in-depth research with his background in comedy to create a hilarious history of how politics really happens.

Pages: 304, Publication Year: 0422, Dimensions: 12.9x12.9cm