What Does Jeremy Think?

Jeremy Heywood and the Making of Modern Britain

What Does Jeremy Think?
Suzanne Heywood
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NZ$ 24.99
Paperback
h198 x 129mm - 592pg
3 Feb 2022 UK
International import eta 7-19 days
9780008353162
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' From the first day that I started work at the Health and Safety Executive I was asking restless questions like ' what is the point of doing that? ' and ' does it actually have an effect on anything? ' That is my economist training, which I combine with an assumption that things can be improved - and it is how I have approached my whole career. ' As a young civil servant, Jeremy Heywood' s insightful questioning of the status quo pushed him to the centre of political power in this country for more than 25 years. He served directly four Prime Ministers in various roles including as the Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, as the first and only Permanent Secretary of 10 Downing Street, the Cabinet Secretary and the Head of the Home Civil Service. He was at the centre of every crisis from the early 1990s until 2018, and at most of the key meetings. Invariably, when faced with a new policy initiative a Prime Minister' s first response would be: ' but what does Jeremy think? ' Jeremy worked up until his death, retiring just a few days before he died from lung cancer in October 2018. This book began as a joint effort between Jeremy and his wife Suzanne - working together in the last months of his life, with much of it completed in hospital treatment rooms and with Jeremy' s full involvement including prompts by text message of the questions to be asked of ministers and former colleagues. Suzanne completed the work after his death. In a time of political uncertainty, this extraordinary book follows the experiences of a great modern public servant and offers an unforgettable account of crisis management, of change and of how to push through reform. Built from Jeremy' s own memories, his papers and over 200 interviews with others closely involved in his work through those pivotal years in British contemporary history, it shows viscerally and in real time the extraordinary contribution made by the civil service. And it celebrates Heywood' s life in the beating heart of UK politics, and a man who for so long was the most powerful non-famous name in Britain.
' Suzanne and Jeremy Heywood have created a marvellous book which lives. breathes and talks to its reader. There is insight and humanity on every page. It will be a goldmine for historians of government as it really is and it will shine for as long as anyone is interested in Whitehall. ' Peter Hennessy' The words Civil Servant seem too dry to describe greatness. But Jeremy was a great man whom I look back upon with a sense of pride in what he achieved and a sense of privilege in having achieved at least some of it together. ' Tony Blair' A collapsing pound, stock exchange crash, leaks, scandals, sackings, banks going under, capital flight, sometimes all in the same morning. Jeremy didn' t need crisis, but crisis needed him. ' Gordon Brown' Jeremy' s tenacity, that semi-permanent half smile he always used to have, his svelt intellect, and his preternatural appetite for finding agreement in a sea of disputes were, in many ways, qualities that were tailor made for Coalition Government. ' Nick Clegg' His was a confidence born of genuine ability, talent and brain. We were so lucky to have him. ' David Cameron' Calm, practical, pragmatic, forensic, creative and witty too. Some would say, the very best of Sir Humphrey, with none of the downsides. But I would go further. Surely the legend of our brilliant Civil Service should no longer be the fictional story of Sir Humphrey but the true story of Sir Jeremy. The greatest public servant of our time. ' Theresa May
Suzanne Heywood was born in the UK but for most of her childhood sailed around the world with her family, with limited access to formal education. She came back to the UK aged 17 and won a place to study at Oxford University. After her PhD at Cambridge University, she joined McKinsey and Company where she became a senior partner. She is now a managing director of Exor and chair of CNH Industrial. She married Jeremy in 1997 and they have three children.
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9780008353162
Published: 3 Feb 2022
Published In: United Kingdom
Imprint: William Collins
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Format: Paperback
Height: 198mm
Width: 129mm
Spine: 38mm
Weight: 440g
Pages: 592

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