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Jess Phillips

The Life of an MP: Everything You Really Need to Know About Politics Paperback – 5 April 2022

by Jess Phillips (Author)

520 ratings

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THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

‘Honest, funny and very revealing. Her conclusion in particular, “Why we need politics” is essential' - Adam Kay

'Funny and really readable' - Jeremy Vine (BBC Radio Two)

‘This book is here to take you inside the daily realities of Westminster. I don’t mean that it’s going to bore you to death with a blow by blow account of what it’s like to sit on the Statutory Instrument Debate on Naval regulations 1968-2020 – but to demystify the places and practice of politics.’

From agonising decisions on foreign air strikes to making headlines about orgasms, from sitting in on history-making moments at the UN to eating McCain potato smiles at a black-tie banquet in China, the life of a politician is never dull. And it’s also never been more important. But politics is far bigger than Westminster, and in this book Jess Phillips makes the compelling case for why now, more than ever, we all need to be a part of it.

With trademark humour and honesty, Jess Phillips lifts the lid on what a career in politics is really like and why it matters – to all of us. This is the inside story of what’s really going on.

'Chatty and anecdotal' - The Times Magazine

'A robustly autobiographical, entertaining attempt to demystify life in Westminster' - The Observer

Print length

304 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Gallery UK
Publication date

5 April 2022
Dimensions

19.8 x 3.3 x 13 cm
ISBN-10

1398500925
ISBN-13

978-1398500921
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Product description

About the Author

JESS PHILLIPS was first elected as the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley in 2015 and was elected chair of the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party in September 2016. Before becoming an MP, she worked with victims of domestic violence, sexual violence and human trafficking, and she continues to speak up on behalf of those who struggle to have their voice heard. Jess lives with her husband and two sons in Birmingham, where she was born and raised.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gallery UK (5 April 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1398500925
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1398500921
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 19.8 x 3.3 x 13 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 2,091 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 35 in Political Science (Books)

Customer reviews:
520 ratings

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5 star		64%
4 star		24%
3 star		8%
2 star		2%
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Bookworm

Brilliant!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 August 2021

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This is a brilliant book on ‘behind the scenes’ of Westminster and her constituency. I read it in a few sittings and found it difficult to put down. To my husband’s mild annoyance (who is a staunch Tory voter) I kept reading sections to him out loud. It is compulsory reading for anyone who aspires to be an MP (or even just a councillor). I wish all the MPs were as conscientious as Jess as it is obviously a very frustrating job. It has made me think again about how I vote at the next election, especially as where I live the same Tory MP wins year after year and in the last election like many, although I wanted to vote for the local labour candidate, I didn’t want to vote for Jeremy Corbyn. This is a conundrum that many people face and Jess tries to deal with this dilemma in the book. I thank Jess profusely as I have learned more about Westminster and politics than I have ever learned by reading newspapers and listening to the news in the last 50 years. Parts of the book are very humorous and had me laughing out loud. I come from the Black Country so can identify with her constituents, but have now retired to Devon which is a lot, lot different.

24 people found this helpful

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El

Accessible politics for all!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 April 2022

Verified Purchase

I really really liked this book. Before reading I didn't know a lot about Jess Phillips but she is refreshing, honest and just what the UK needs in politics at the moment. The book is based around the thought that currently politics has shut out the average working person by being full of elaborate protocol which is difficult to understand and follow. How can we expect the average working person in the UK to participate if they don't understand? This leaves the space open for the few (usually the Rich) that do understand to take over and make policies which work for them but not the average person. Jess aims in this book to open politics up to all so that everyone can participate and hopefully policies will then be made that benefit the majority of society.

The book covers lots of areas from basics such as the names and roles positions within the House of Commons, there is even a really handy glossary at the back which lists all the main definitions so you can refer back to it as you're reading. Jess covers topics such as how an MP comes to be in that role, how local parliament works and the sort of jobs that local parliament deal with. Jess takes the reader behind the scenes at Westminster and explains how the House of Commons works and describes a typical week in the role of an MP, explaining the day-to-day work but also how laws and regulations get passed.

The only thing that I could criticise was that there were a lot of spelling mistakes/mis-typed words which got quite annoying, it's such a simple thing which could easily have been removed during the edit took away from how good this book actually is. Hopefully in the paperback edition this will have been sorted.

I can't stress enough how much I really enjoyed this book, Jess breaks the world of politics down so that its clear and accessible for everyone that doesn't have exceptional knowledge of the UK political system, I'd describe myself as moderately politically aware and I found it really informative. I was concerned before reading that this would be a book where a Politician tries their hardest to be relatable but Jess managed to escape that from happening, it was never patronising, instead it was informative and actually very inspiring.

Highly recommended.

7 people found this helpful

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Yonni.I

For political reasons, I wish I didn't give it four stars, but it's worthy of it!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 July 2022

Verified Purchase

I was hesitant to purchase this, even at the daily deal price of 99p, as giving money to Jess Phillips is not something I would ordinarily do, given we are at opposite ends of the political spectrum.

However, that being said, it was a book which I started and finished relatively quickly as I was keen to see what it was like to be an MP.

At times, Jess did go on a political rant. However, her target was usually Boris. Even as a Conservative Party member, I cannot entirely blame her for that(!) Most of the book contains Jess's story of how she went through the ranks to become a member of parliament.

I've thought it for some time, but after reading this, if she were to become Labour leader, she would stand an excellent chance of winning.

For political reasons, I wish I didn't give it four stars, but it's worthy of it!

7 people found this helpful

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Anthony

Made me think twice

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 July 2021

Verified Purchase

Loved the book. Read it in a couple of sittings along with 6 mugs of tea. Thought I knew what MPs did all day and this showed me that when it comes to Westminster, I did. However, back in constituency the challeneges that Jess and her team were a real eye-opener. I believe that British politics is broken, I am by and large disenfranchised due to an overwhelming majority for my local MP. But Jess's book has challeneged that though. Hopefully I and other read this excellent book can push for change.

10 people found this helpful

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DavidF

Very accessible account of what an MP actually does.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 September 2021

Verified Purchase

Nobody else could have written a more frank and honest description of the job of an MP. Jess writes in a very easy style, uncovering the nitty gritty of parliamentary processes while also giving a window into typical casework. Despite her humble background (or maybe because of it), Jess has proved herself one of the most powerful people in the UK and internationally, in the area of women's rights, earning respect from members of other parties. Probably the best book on real world politics I've ever read.

7 people found this helpful

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Mrs Downes

An interesting insight British Politics

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 April 2022

Verified Purchase

Jess Philips has a conversational writing style that makes this book feel like a chat with a cup of tea. I don't agree with everything she thinks but if I lived in Yardley I'd vote for her. Reading this in the current political climate (partygate, the war in Ukraine & the deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda) I think a few more like Jess are needed.

5 people found this helpful

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