HarperCollins sends every MP Calvert and Arbuthnott's Failures of State

HarperCollins will send every MP in parliament a copy of the updated edition of Jonathan Calvert and George Arbuthnott’s Failures of State: The Inside Story of Britain’s Battle with Coronavirus as Covid restrictions come to an end. 

The publisher, which described the book as trailblazing, said it offered “unparalleled insight into the decisions that shaped one of the most devastating crises in modern UK history” through unrivalled access to insider sources. The paperback, published on 17th March, has been revised throughout with “new and important revelations" covering the period through to the end of 2021. 

Calvert and Arbuthnott, journalists with the Sunday Times Insight team, said: “In the last few months, the supporters of Boris Johnson have been trying to rewrite history by claiming the prime minister got the big calls right on the pandemic. Nothing could be further from the truth. Johnson’s disastrous handling of the crisis led to the highest death toll in Europe and caused the nation’s finances to crash lower than any other G7 country.  

“Failures of States tells the true story in real time about how the prime minister got the big calls wrong and put his own political interests before the lives of his own people. As a result, thousands have died without the care they needed and the NHS is now on its knees. The public is also facing the highest tax burden since the Second World War.

"Britain will be counting the cost of Johnson’s pandemic failures for years to come. We hope that this book will be required reading for those in politics preparing for the long-delayed and much-needed inquiry into Britain’s coronavirus catastrophe.” 

Joel Simons, publishing director of Mudlark, added: “We’re proud to be publishing the revised and updated paperback and continuing to bring to readers of all affiliations and ideologies the information they both deserve and need to make informed decisions on events impacting them right now.”