Table of Contents

Foreword by Ricky Tomlinson

Introduction

PART ONE FROM CRADLE TO BRAVE
1 A Liverpool Upbringing
2 The Docks
3 Militancy and Misery
4 The Praetorian Guards
5 Family
6 Anfield, Heysel and Hillsborough
7 Betrayal
8 Cool Britannia
9 Come Together
10 Uniting Unite

PART TWO FROM FALKIRK TO FINSBURY PARK
11 Dealing with Miliband
12 Falkirk
13 The Road to Defeat
14 The Rise of Jeremy Corbyn
15 Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire
16 The Chicken Coup
17 A Close Call
18 2017
19 Labour’s Antisemitism Crisis
20 A Slow-Motion Car Crash
21 The Brexit Election
22 New Management
23 ‘Fighting Back’ Trade Unionism

Promotional Information

• Conduct dynamic social media campaign, leveraging author’s significant following and connection to key influencers to promote paperback edition of the book.
• Build on the substantial coverage of the book’s hardback edition, which included reviews in The Guardian, The Times, and many other major outlets.
• Pitch further television, radio, and podcast interviews with author.
• Host series of events with author and other prominent labor leaders from throughout the globe.

About the Author

Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite the Union for more than a decade, is a trade unionist from Liverpool. Elected a shop steward on the Liverpool docks aged 19, he rose through the Transport and General Workers' Union before playing an instrumental role in the creation of Unite. As its leader, he became a national political figure and a powerful influence in the Labour Party. He is a lifelong supporter of Liverpool Football Club and the author of Why You Should Be A Trade Unionist.

Ricky Tomlinson is an actor, comedian, and political activist from Liverpool. Unjustly gaoled for trade union activity in 1973, he switched from building work to acting upon his release. His most iconic role came as Jim Royle in The Royle Family.

Reviews

“Fascinating… A good story about the way that trade unionism can drastically change people’s lives”
 — The Guardian
“Len McCluskey, outgoing general secretary of Unite, criticises the Labour leader in his new autobiography”
— BBC News
“Union firebrand Len McCluskey has launched a blistering attack on Sir Keir Starmer… In a bombshell memoir, the union baron will accuse him of an ‘anti-democratic crackdown on the Left’”
— Daily Mail
“Pulls no punches. An explosive account of life at the top of the Labour Party from Britain’s most important trade union leader.”
— Kevin Maguire “Len’s life story is an inspiration. He lives and breathes solidarity. He is a true workers’ leader.”
— Maxine Peake “Len reminds us what—and who—we’re fighting for. He knows his own mind and isn’t afraid to speak it.”
— Zarah Sultana “The riveting story of a lifetime spent fighting for workers, with lessons for all of us. Len learned the value of solidarity working on the Liverpool docks and it has never left him.”
— Dave Ward “An incisive political memoir with lessons for the whole left”
— Morning Star “[This] account of Corbynism … is one of the most politically astute to date”
— New Left Review “Len McCluskey lifts lid on secret chats with Starmer”
— Express “Len McCluskey says public could see Labour leader as ‘someone who can’t be trusted’”
— The Independent “Uncompromising and highly critical”
— Sky News “Len McCluskey’s parting shot [against Keir Starmer] comes in a memoir, Always Red, which is set to be published on the day of Starmer’s speech at Labour’s annual conference”
— The Times “Labour could go under if Sir Keir Starmer takes it too far to the Right, says Len McCluskey”
— The Telegraph “Len McCluskey accuses Keir Starmer of 'breaking deal' over Corbyn's readmission to Labour”
— The Mirror“The life and legacy of one of the most influential labour leaders”
— Red Pepper“Full of score-settling”
— The Socialist Party of Great Britain