Shepherd, John: George Lansbury

Rising from humble working-class beginnings to lead the Labour party during the Depression years of the 1930s, George Lansbury was an extraordinary politician of the people. Associated throughout his life with a multitude of crusades for social justice, he never sought personal wealth, travelled everywhere by public transport, and made his home in the impoverished East End of London. He fought for women's rights, went willingly to prison in support of the 'Poplar Rates Revolt', and spent his final years in a tireless international peace crusade to prevent world war. This major new biography reconstructs the life of a charismatic Labour pioneer whose principled approach to public life made him 'the most lovable figure in modern politics.'