Members Behaving Badly: A History of Britain in 52 Parliamentary Rogues
By: Debbie Kilroy
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They say today’s politicians have never behaved so badly. History tells a very different story…
‘Funny, eye-opening and jaw-dropping.’ CHARLIE HIGSON
Long before expenses scandals, Partygate and headlines about sleaze, Britain’s MPs were gambling away fortunes, fighting duels, staging kidnappings, abusing their power – and occasionally getting away with murder.
In Members Behaving Badly, historian Debbie Kilroy tells the story of Britain through fifty-two of the most outrageous rogues ever to sit in Parliament. From drunken aristocrats exposing themselves on tavern balconies to corrupt ministers whose greed helped spark revolutions, here are the scandals, feuds, disasters and astonishing acts of misconduct that shaped the nation.
Packed with unforgettable characters, dark humour and extraordinary true stories, discover four centuries of British history at its most riotously disreputable.
Perfect for readers who enjoy history with wit, pace and plenty of astonishing facts, Members Behaving Badly reveals that Westminster has always been full of larger-than-life characters – and that some things never change.
If you enjoyed Unruly, A History of Britain in 10 Enemies or The Rest Is History, prepare to meet the MPs who made history… for all the wrong reasons.
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‘Deliciously scandalous.’ Daily Mail
‘Thoroughly entertaining.’ Jonathan Healey
‘A riot of malfeasance and misbehaviour’ Roger Moorhouse
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‘A riot of malfeasance and misbehaviour… Debbie Kilroy reminds us that, though we might imagine ourselves ill-served by our current crop of MPs, some of their predecessors were hilariously and horribly worse.’
- Roger Moorhouse, author of Wolfpack -
‘Relevant, informative and timely, Kilroy shows us the real unparliamentary behaviour of the past, whilst also reminding us some things never change!’
- Jackson van Uden, ‘History with Jackson’ -
‘Reader beware – beneath the veneer of rogues, scoundrels and libertines lies a dark world filled with pirates, kidnapping, adultery, duels, baby swapping, gambling, murder and devil worship. Kilroy’s research is exemplary and her story telling is brimming with detail sprinkled throughout with wit and humour. This is a must read!’
- Kate Vigurs, author of Mission France: The True History of the Women of SOE -
‘Thought the likes of Johnson, Hancock, Pincher and Parish were the worst behaved MPs of all time? Think again … Funny, eye-opening and jaw-dropping.’
- Charlie Higson, author of Willie, Willie, Harry, Stee -
‘A thoroughly entertaining gallop through four centuries of Parliamentarian perfidy. Members Behaving Badly is a Hogarthian gallery of rogues and rotters, full of the woeful and riotous tales of the many men who have disgraced the benches of Westminster. I enjoyed it very much.’
- Jonathan Healey, author of The Blazing World -
‘This witty and well-written book highlights 52 parliamentary rogues from 1603 to 1945. There are fascinating stories of blackmail, adultery, embezzlement and murder. It’s a rattling good read.’
- Professor Frank McDonough, author of The Hitler Years -
‘A deliciously scandalous new history charts the dishonourable antics of our honourable members … Kilroy’s book is enough to make the reader question democracy, when we are confronted with such a grim catalogue of egomania. I hope Kilroy writes a second volume, bringing the saga up to the present day.’
- Daily Mail, Book of the Week -
‘[A] lively, well-laid-out, thoroughly entertaining and novel history of the House of Commons over three dynamic centuries.’
- Country Life