Articles

A vivid account by a meritocratic polymath, Lord Levene’s memoirs leave Peter Hennessy pondering why peacetime Britain produces so few ‘fixers’ of his calibre

A connoisseur of the Whitehall machine and an expert on the British prime ministers he has known, William Waldegrave has had a remarkable political career. Peter Hennessy meets him

Five years ago, Gus O’Donnell was a key player in the delicate transition to a coalition government. Peter Hennessy asks the former cabinet secretary what we might expect after next month’s vote

A 40-year love affair with Parliament has turned former clerk of the House of Commons Sir Robert Rogers into a kind of social anthropologist. Peter Hennessy meets him.  

Peter Hennessy interviews former MI5 chief Eliza Manningham-Buller about the three decades she spent tackling the Soviet threat, the IRA and Islamist terrorism

Journalist and historian Peter Hennessy meets former chief of the defence staff General Sir David Richards to discuss Whitehall’s internal wars, and the need for truly strategic thinking in Whitehall

Journalist and historian Peter Hennessy meets former deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine to discuss his life in politics – and his views of the civil service.

Peter Hennessy has spent 40 years observing government. Now ensconced in the Lords, he tells Matt Ross what he’s learned about the need for confidence, the dangers of special advisers, and the joys of the awkward squad.