Britain Alone

'Admirably lucid and measured, as well as studded with sharp pen portraits of the key players, Britain Alone gives us the fullest long-run political and diplomatic narrative yet of Britain’s fateful, tragi-comic road to Brexit.'

‘Philip Stephens has produced that rare thing - an instant classic. Britain Alone is the codebook we need to unravel the six and a half decades between Suez and Brexit, and Stephens is a master of historical codebreaking.’

'This is a compelling account of how a country that once prided itself on its active internationalism now appears as curiously disengaged, drifting away from its natural allies. Philip Stephens tell the story with a journalist's eye for the interplay of personality and policy-making, backed by a deep knowledge of Britain's post-war history.'

'With his profound knowledge of the politics of Westminster, Washington and the European Union, Philip Stephens tells the increasingly depressing story of Britain’s failure to adjust to the loss of empire and to the reality of life as a middle ranking country, with a distinguished culture and history. No-one is likely to write this modern history of decline with more brio and comprehensive insight.'

'Having talked to many of the leading players over decades, Philip Stephens gives us a ringside seat at the drama of how Britain lost, found and lost again its post-imperial international role. Sad and fascinating.'

'A tour de force. Philip Stephens combines an engaging narrative, packed with fascinating detail with a profound and thought provoking analysis of the UK’s place in the world from Suez to the present day. A readable and authoritative account of Britain’s international role, and the profound challenges that confront us today.'