The 1922 Committee

Reviews / Votes

Shortlisted for the PSA WJM Mackenzie Book Prize 2025

'Impeccable scholarship and a degree of charm'
Simon Heffer, The Sunday Telegraph

'As near to a definitive account as we are ever likely to get.'
Vernon Bogdanor, Times Literary Supplement

'With unrestricted access to its records, Lord Norton's masterful account sheds fresh light on the workings of this mysterious committee.'
Lord Lexden, The House magazine

'The 1922 is probably the most significant body in British politics that almost no one knows anything about - and what they do think they know is probably wrong. Philip Norton does a superb job at disentangling myth from reality.'
Philip Cowley, Professor of Politics, Queen Mary University of London

'Nobody knows more about parliament, or about the Conservative Party, than Philip Norton. So he is the perfect guide to the little-understood but increasingly newsworthy 1922 Committee. This meticulously researched history illustrates how much of parliament's most important influence really goes on behind the scenes.'
Meg Russell, Professor of British and Comparative Politics, University College London

'This highly insightful and accessible book sheds important new light on the history, organisation and politics of the Conservatives' backbench 1922 Committee. Drawing on his decades of experience observing and analysing parliamentary politics, Philip Norton reveals how the Committee works, its day-to-day power and its occasional role in terminating premierships.'
Isabelle Hertner, Senior Lecturer in Politics, King's College London

'Anyone who wants to really understand the British Conservative Party, and indeed parliamentary parties in general, would be well advised to read this book.'
Tim Bale, Party Politics

'Norton's book offers much welcomed and valuable insight into how intra-party organisational rules
within the Conservative Party shape our political constitution.'
Robert Greally, Public Law

'Detailed and thorough, Norton's book will probably stand for some time as the last word on the 1922 Committee.'
Richard Briand, The Political Quarterly

'An admirable textbook about this obscure body which plays a vital role in crowning and defenestrating Conservative leaders, and therefore in the British Constitution.'
Andrew Gimson, ConservativeHome

'As a book likely to remain the standard source on the 1922 Committee until the next significant anniversary produces another, it is highly recommended for libraries with concentrations in British politics, parliamentary politics, and modern British history.
--M. Klobas, Scottsdale Community College
Summing Up: Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and professionals.'
CHOICE (June 2024 Vol. 61 No. 10)

'There may be few more qualified than Norton to discuss the significance of the 1922 Committee for the British political system.'
-- Stefan Schieren, translated from "ZEITSCHRIFT FUER PARLAMENTSFRAGEN" (Journal for Parliamentary Affairs) No. 3 2024 -- .