Hodder to publish Iain Dale's The Prime Ministers

Hodder & Stoughton has acquired a new book conceived by LBC presenter Iain Dale, The Prime Ministers, timed to publish in 2020 ahead of the 300th anniversary of the creation of the office of Prime Minister in April 2021.

The book will comprise profiles of all 55 British prime ministers, each by a different writer. Contributors include academics, historians, political journalists and serving politicians, including Sir Anthony Seldon, Jesse Norman MP, Damian Collins MP, Nicky Morgan MP, Rachel Reeves MP, political journalists Simon Heffer, Julia Langdon and Peter Riddell, and Lords Adonis, Wood and Norton.

World English-language rights, including audio and serial, were acquired through Martin Redfern at Northbank Talent Management, with publication slated for November 2020.

Hodder Non-Fiction publisher Rupert Lancaster said: "We are delighted Iain is joining Hodder with such a great project. The Prime Ministers exemplifies all that Iain is about—communicating and enthusing about politics to the widest possible audience, in imaginative and entertaining ways. The line-up of writers is exceptional, and I am sure this will be the Christmas 2020 gift for anyone interested in history and current affairs."

Dale said: "With the office of Prime Minister under scrutiny like never before, this book will bring to life all 55 people who have held Britain’s top political office. From the obscure 18th-century prime ministers like the Earl of Shelburne, to 20th-century titans like Churchill and Thatcher, this book will provide a much-needed reminder about their motivations, failures and achievements. I’m delighted to be working with Rupert Lancaster and his team at Hodder & Stoughton."

The former Biteback m.d. is also publishing a book with HarperCollins in the new year, a part-memoir, part-polemic book about the state of public discourse in Britain, called Why Can’t We All Just Get Along.