Coalition Diaries, 2012-2015

Acclaimed as one of the sharpest political intellects of his generation, David Laws saw his ministerial career nosedive before it had begun when, after only seventeen days as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, he was forced to resign when unintended breaches of parliamentary expenses rules came to light. You can't keep a good man down, however, and he returned to government, where he was also responsible for implementation of the coalition agreement and planning the Lib Dems' strategy in the run-up to the 2015 election. David began writing a diary in March 2012 and continued writing it throughout his ministerial career and up to the 2015 election, which devastated the Liberal Democrats in Parliament. Frank, acerbic, sometimes shocking and often funny, Coalition Diaries chronicles the historic Liberal Democrat-Conservative coalition government, offering extraordinary pen portraits of all the personalities involved, some of whom were cast aside at the election or put to the knife after Brexit, while others are active in today's government.

David Laws was the Liberal Democrat MP for Yeovil from 2001 to 2015. He helped negotiate the historic Lib Dem-Conservative coalition in 2010, and briefly served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, before becoming Minister of State for Schools in the Department for Education and Minister of State for the Cabinet Office. David is co-editor of the influential Orange Book and author of 22 Days in May: The Birth of the Lib Dem-Conservative Coalition.