From Keir Hardie to Blair, Brown and Corbyn: The political books to buy your Labour friends this Christmas

Comrade Corbyn: A Very Unlikely Coup: How Jeremy Corbyn stormed to the Labour leadership by Rosa Prince, Biteback.

Sceptical telling of the tale of how the veteran socialist overcame 100-1 odds to claim the Labour leadership after a youth in which, according to Rose Prince tongue-in-cheek, he “honed his radicalism on the mean streets of rural Shropshire”.

Outside, Inside: 2003-2005 by Alastair Campbell, Biteback.

The fifth volume of Campbell’s diaries is a slower paced affair than the previous efforts but still intriguing as Tony Blair’s former media chief relates his slow departure from Downing Street, his battle to avoid being drawn back in to the daily maelstrom and the scrutiny of the Labour government during the Hutton Inquiry.

The Long and Winding Road by Alan Johnson, Bantam.

The convivial former home secretary and Beatles fan charts his journey from trade union leader to parliamentary selection in Hull West and Hessle, how he came to the notice of Tony Blair, and then his entry into the ministerial ranks of New Labour.

British Labour Leaders edited by Charles Clarke and Toby S. James

From Keir Hardie to Ed Miliband, they are all here, accompanied by chapter-length verdicts from some of Britain’s top political academics. Clarke, another former home secretary, and James also rank the politicians by various measures including performance in elections. It will prompt intense debate among activists on everything from ideology to why we have not seen more women in senior roles. Bear in mind that Jeremy Corbyn is not included because the book considers the completed tenure of Labour leaders.

Speaking Out: Lessons in Life and Politics by Ed Balls, Hutchinson

A thoroughly enjoyable memoir by the former shadow chancellor and Strictly Come Dancing star. Balls’ tome is stuffed with comic anecdotes but there is considerable reflection on his time as Gordon Brown’s closest advisor at the Treasury and Labour’s general election campaigns, as well as what went well for him and our party – and why we lost.

Inside Story: Politics, Intrigue and Treachery from Thatcher to Brexit by Philip Webster, Harper Collins

Don’t let the Tory-sounding title put you off this memoir-cum-history from The Times‘ former political editor. Philip Webster charted the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and many of the hard years of opposition that preceded them, as well as the right-wing administrations of the 1980s. Webster was renowned for his sources in Labour and was seen as one of the most insightful journalists of 13 years of heady change from 1997.

Call me Dave: The unauthorised biography of David Cameron by Isabel Oakeshott and Michael Ashcroft, Biteback

A fascinating and occasionally lurid account of David Cameron’s early years, and time in Downing Street, which has now been updated to include the EU referendum which prompted his downfall. Former Tory deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft is persona non grata in the Cameron household and it is easy to see why when you read this portrayal of the Tory leader, now a former prime minister, who comes across as a clever and cunning chancer.