This is a slightly unusual political memoir, in that the author is neither trying to show off (or polish) their record (fairly limited in Stewart’s case, as he was bounced between departments without much time to make an impact) nor preparing for a comeback. There are no major revelations, and if you listen to The Rest is Politics you’ll probably have heard most of the anecdotes already. But it is an entertaining and, at times, depressing book about life as a frustrated backbencher and junior minister trying and (mostly) failing to make a big difference, whilst watching charlatans and less principled colleagues move ahead.

Another unusual aspect is that Stewart often declines to mention names, thus suggesting a veneer of discretion, but gives you enough hints that anyone with access to a search engine or Wikipedia could probably work out who he is referring to. This faux anonymity is a bit annoying, as it doesn’t seem to achieve anything, and anyone who Stewart despises gets named repeatedly (primarily Boris Johnson).

The final chapters go deep into frustrations - with Brexit, the leadership contest, and finally being thrown out of the party and effectively out of Parliament (UK politicians generally can’t win as independents, so being kicked out of a party means you lose your seat at the next election in nearly all cases). I would have liked to have heard more about the attempts to stop a no deal Brexit after the leadership election, and perhaps his mayoral campaign, and given that Stewart cut half the prepared material, there may be a chance for a second volume. No doubt it would sell well given the number of people who listen to TRIP, where the book is currently plugged at every opportunity.

Overall, this is worth reading given how different it is to most memoirs, but it is unfortunately, and understandably, less interesting than those whose political careers went a bit further.

(In case anyone is wondering how I’m reviewing this before the publication date, I went to a Q&A with Stewart and the ticket price included a copy of the book. As far as I’m aware it’s the same as what will go on general sale.)