The Verdict

Did Labour policies worsen the recession? Why did social mobility slow down on Labour's watch? Has SureStart improved the prospects of tomorrow's children? Does politics ever actually change anything? In their new book, Polly Toynbee and David Walker investigate these questions and more, providing a telling analysis of Labour's longest term in office, and a fascinating account of the role of politics in public life. They compare election promises with government policy, and use real-world stories and incisive commentary to illustrate the impact of Labour's government on the lives of British people. At the heart of the book is the question: Would the changes of the past 12 years have happened anyway? From the gleeful consumerism of the boom times to the misery of the economic bust, Toynbee & Walker assess the era of Blair and Brown and ask What Have Labour Done?