Snakes and Ladders

In the high-stakes world of politics, there are superb highs and terrible lows – and never more so than in the period since 2010. Few are better placed to give an insider's view of the turmoil than the Rt Hon. Dame Andrea Leadsom MP. From taking to the stage at Wembley as a key figure in the campaign to leave the European Union, through two leadership bids, Cabinet intrigue and squaring off against an increasingly erratic Speaker, Andrea's very personal account tracks the ups and downs of a life in politics and particularly the challenges for female MPs. In this updated edition, which sheds new light on the fraught leadership campaigns of 2022, Andrea argues that political careers don't always – as is so often claimed – end in failure, and explains how, like a game of snakes and ladders, politics is often about getting yourself into the right place at the right time.