One of Britain’s lesser-known 20th century Prime Ministers, Alan Johnson’s concise biography of Labour’s third Prime Minister in history is a well-written, accessible and insightful explanation of the man who led our country for eight years. From before his birth to the end of his life, Harold Wilson guides readers through each step of Wilson’s journey to and through 10 Downing Street, exploring the hardships and challenges faced, scandals posed and much more, that often is only recalled from Wilson’s short feature in The Crown.
Despite being a bit of a political boffin myself, the writing style, length and organisation lends this book well to readers of all kinds, with no pre-requisite knowledge required to fully understand what is being presented in its pages. With short chapters and simple language largely used throughout, it lends itself well to short periods of engagement or longer ones, and also provides a springboard to learn more should a reader wish to, without causing this publication specifically to feel cumbersome.
It also has a deeply humanising effect, taking a (to many) faceless name and contextualising Wilson as a person and as a statesman, but with an intricate and personal human side that is explored, particularly in regard to his childhood, education and time serving in the military before entering politics. It can be read as an inspiring and motivating story that showcases how tough barriers can be overcome to reach aspirations, even one as high as Prime Minister.
I appreciated the time the book took to explain Wilson’s position within the Labour Party, especially when his views deviated from those around him and his senior figures, and how he would navigate these issues within the House of Commons. Whilst much coverage of political ‘rebels’ focuses only on the who, being a book dedicated to Wilson allowed an expansion of the why, a factor so often disregarded that gave this explainer a breath of fresh air. There were several times where a slight bias was apparent (Alan Johnson being a former Labour Cabinet Minister himself), although this was fleeting and did not prevent understanding or appreciation of the figure being discussed to a significant extent.
Overall, this publication is a fantastic insight into one of our Prime Ministers, in a format that allows anyone who wishes to engage and learn more about Harold Wilson from one of Labour’s own. Whilst Johnson was selected to write this book partially due to his own admiration of Wilson, his adaptations for other former British leaders would not go amiss, and would be a fantastic addition to bookshelves across the nation should he choose to pen them.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Harold Wilson (ISBN: 9781-800-75332-7) was published in 2024
