All Out War

The Full Story of How Brexit Sank Britain’s Political Class

By: Tim Shipman

Narrated by: Rupert Farley

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE 2017

#1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

‘The best political book of the year’ Andrew Marr

‘A superb work of storytelling and reporting. Sets new benchmark for the writing of contemporary political history’ Guardian

The only book to tell the full story of how and why Britain voted to leave the EU.

This is the acclaimed inside story of the EU referendum in 2016 that takes you behind the scenes of the most extraordinary episode in British politics since the Second World War.

With unparalleled access to all key players, this is a story of calculation, attempted coups and people torn between principles and loyalty. It is a book about our leaders and their closest aides, the decisions they make, how and why they make them and how they feel when they turn out to be so wrong.

In All Out War, Tim Shipman has written a political history that reads like a thriller, exploring how and why David Cameron chose to take the biggest political gamble of his life, and why he lost.

Critic reviews

‘I can't imagine a more even-handed or better sourced, all points-of-view account of the biggest story in British politics since WWII … A fine book’ ANDREW MARR, Sunday Times

'Shipman's dispatches are a must read if you want to understand what happened beneath the smog and beyond the noise of the conflict’ NICK ROBINSON

‘Shipman is brilliantly qualified to write the inside story of the referendum, with his unrivalled access to all the players’ JOHN RENTOUL

‘One of the best political journalists of his era … It’s impossible to fully comprehend what happened on June 23 and the ensuing two weeks without reading this book … Brilliant’ – IAIN DALE, LBC

‘Shipman’s book is by far the best. It is a detailed, often pitch-perfect account that delivers the tale with an infectious sense of human drama – no mean feat, given the task of completing the whole thing so quickly’ JOHN HARRIS, New Statesman

‘The essential account … Shipman has spoken to every key individual to produce the definitive first draft of history, a comprehensive yet impartial study of how Brexit won’ Financial Times

‘Excellent … Shipman convincingly marshals fresh evidence to prove what we already half-knew’ WILL HUTTON, Observer

‘The best political book of the year was undoubtedly Tim Shipman’s masterly ‘All Out War’’ New Statesman

‘Stonkingly good: if you’re vaguely interested in politics buy it. It won’t be bettered’ FRASER NELSON

‘Thorough, comprehensive and utterly gripping. It is hard to imagine a better first draft of history’ – Economist

‘Undoubtedly the British political book of the year’ ALEX MASSIE

‘Shipman, one of the most brilliant, best informed and well-connected journalists in Westminster, has written a superlative book which does full justice to a momentous time’ PETER OBORNE

‘Don’t think any of the quotes do justice to quite how good it is. A superb work of reporting and storytelling, and sets new benchmark for the writing of contemporary political history’ ANDREW SPARROW

one for the ages

It is rare that so soon after any overtly political event a detailed reconstruction of it becomes available .
This book covers Brexit from the point of view of the elite of British society. It does not hide that fact.
What it does hide, from my prospective anyway, is a detailed description of how and why it happened to a foreign reader.
I have been interested in UK politics for a long time so determine for yourself if you agree.
The book was well written and narrated. My only suggestion to a totally new reader would be to use a website you respect to look up basic UK political terms. This book does a good job of that but to enjoy it fully I would take my suggestion. Thirty-two hours seems like a long time to read but I found it extremely captivating and well worth the credit I used. I couldn't recommend this book more for anyone interested in politics at any level.

Expertly written and superbly narrated.

Tim Shipman’s All Out War promises to tell us the ‘full story of how and why Britain voted to leave the EU’ and how that vote ‘shattered the political status quo.’ This book intrigued me because at the time of the referendum I was living in the USA, so even though as a Brit I was able to vote, I felt divorced from the day-to-day of the Brexit campaign.

Do not be scared off by the mammoth 32 hours of listening. The book is vividly brought to life by narrator Rupert Farley. He cleverly mimics the voices of many of the major players involved but just enough so as not to make this a parody. His narration coupled with Shipman’s accessible style of writing, made the hours fly by.

Tim Shipman is one of the most well-connected hacks in Westminster, and he proves it in this book delivering a behind the scenes look at both the leave and in campaigns. We are treated to many discussions and events that took place behind closed doors. In All Out War Shipman transforms the reader into a fly on the wall of the offices and halls of Westminster where much of this book take place.

Political writing can often be biassed, what makes All Out War such an engaging listen/read, is the even-handedness in which Shipman treats Brexit, a very controversial and emotional topic that divided the country. He does not allow his own feelings on Brexit to influence the story, I could not tell you if he was a leaver or remainer, so top marks to the author for that.

Shipman also has a knack for writing in a style that makes All Out War accessible to everyone and not just those who are involved in politics or hold a political science degree.

I would often stay up way past my bedtime as I wanted to know what happened next, sometimes I would have to remind myself that this is a true account rather than a fictional political thriller, that’s how talented Shipman is at creating a narrative based on his many sources and helping us to understand the political dynamics that were going on during Brexit.

My only word of caution is for non Brits who might want to Google or search YouTube for many of the politicians referenced in All Out War to understand the personalities and background of each player. I found myself tracking down some of the speeches and interviews referred to in the book on YouTube. Knowing the backstory made these videos even more intriguing to watch.

All Out War satisfied my thirst for knowledge about what really happened during the Brexit campaign and highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each campaign team on either side of the argument. This book will stand the test of time and I expect it will be read by future generations seeking to understand what the heck happened! I am still very angry at the referendum result though All Out War has helped me to understand why many people voted leave (it wasn’t just immigration) and the weaknesses in the In campaign.

The Obama impersonation

The narrator's Obama character was priceless. Is that what British people think Americans sound like? The book was a bit of a slog, but that bit was funny.

blow by blow, word by word

Unless you know 10% of the names this won't mean offer much. And, probably, knowing that many is more confusing. This is literally a blow by blow account of what happened and what was said. There is a lot of depth here, but unlike titles on historic events who truly matters is far from settled.

This leads to the contrapoint, what happens is very confusing. It feels distinctly like being in the weeds, so as a non-British person I don't think this title is for me ... yet. If I knew all the players, maybe after another book, maybe. But even then, I rarely like blow by blow.