The end of an era: The decline and fall of the Tory Party
Former MP Mark Field – author of tell-all memoir The End of an Era – reflects on where it all went wrong for his party
The Rise and Fall of an Haute Couturier
Adam Solomons | Issue 2 | Culture & Travel, Magazine
From the Archive
Norman Hartnell: The Biography, by Michael Pick, reviewed by Adam Solomons
The autobiography by the Queen’s longtime stylist, Angela Kelly, will likely steal the attention from Michael Pick’s forensic look at the life of the couturier Norman Hartnell, which is a shame, because this is a fascinating study of the life of the man who designed dresses for three queens during a 47-year career at the centre of British haute couture. Pick takes us on the odyssey of Hartnell’s life, from his humble origins as a Streatham publican’s son through to his career highs, such as designing the Queen’s Coronation gown in 1953, and then the decline of his business through misjudgement and poor management. It’s hard not to be moved by the image of Hartnell working past retirement age to pay off debts. A poignant read.
Subscribe to The Mace
Join the member community shaping British politics and stay ahead of what's really happening in the world of politics and public affairs, with expert analysis, breaking news, and insider insights from Westminster and Brussels. The Mace is the leading news source and resource for the government affairs industry, offering required reading and lobby intelligence for professionals.
To see what you are missing out on by not subscribing to The Mace, click here to download our full membership info-pack. This includes having no paywall on op-ed content or profiles/interviews, allowing professional profiles to be read with maximum impact and visibility by government, special advisers, MPs, peers, civil servants, and policy and political decision-makers.
Scathing criticism
From self-lacerating memoir to by-election madness and a Labour Together takedown, The Mace’s literary editor Christopher Silvester rounds up the latest political books.
Telling a human tale
From self-lacerating memoir to by-election madness and a Labour Together takedown, The Mace’s literary editor Christopher Silvester rounds up the latest political books.
Frankly: Nicola Sturgeon
From self-lacerating memoir to by-election madness and a Labour Together takedown, The Mace’s literary editor Christopher Silvester rounds up the latest political books
Zack to the future
What will the Greens’ new eco-populist leader Zack Polanski – who now heads Britain’s third-largest political party – do for his next trick?
From the Floor: Beverley Nielsen’s Labour Conference Diary
Optimism, strategy and late-night gossip: Beverley Nielsen shares her experience of Labour’s four-day conference in Liverpool.
The Dark Arts
‘There’s no crystal ball – it’s best to be honest’: the lobbyists rethinking how to campaign amid Trump’s chaos.
Birmingham Dance Card
With the party's two-day conference starting in a week, Reform Board member Gawain Towler asks: is British business ready for Reform and will they show up to the
Will the EU agree to extend its favourable trade terms for Ukraine?
The EU must decide by 5 June whether to extend tariff-free trade with Ukraine. MEPs warn reintroducing duties could undermine support for Kyiv. Internal opposition, especially from farmers,
All the Ambassador’s Men
Trump’s Catholic allies are exerting growing influence in Rome as a new conclave approaches. Backed by wealthy donors and political operatives, they are campaigning for a more traditional
