Anyone who becomes prime minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland knows that the proverbial ‘first draft of history’ of their time in Downing Street will be written not by journalists but by the indefatigable Anthony Seldon, along with whoever is lucky enough to be brought on board as his coauthor. Sunak at 10 is the latest in a line of books charting the ups and downs of premiers going back to Gordon Brown, the recent rapid turnover of PMs since then meaning this volume is the sixth to appear in just sixteen years.

This one comes out two years after its subject left office, having been written in what Seldon and Tom Egerton call ‘that “Goldilocks” moment when the heat and passion of the events being described have cooled, when almost everyone is free and willing to talk, and when perspective on what happened can be achieved, but before memories fade’. As such, much of it is based on interviews with the key players, be they elected politicians, advisers or officials. It focuses unashamedly on the high politics of a tumultuous period that began with Rishi Sunak, the first politician of colour ever to be appointed British prime minister, being parachuted into the role of chancellor of the exchequer by Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson’s one-time consigliere, in February 2020 and ended with Sunak’s departure from Downing Street in July 2024, the day after he’d led the Conservative Party to its worst ever general election defeat.

Like the previous books in the series, it aims to provide the reader with an analytical narrative rather than simply a chronological account, pausing now and then to ask and answer questions, make comparisons with previous occupants of the office and tackle particular themes (Sunak’s successful handling of Northern Ireland