'The Queen was at the next table. I caught her staring at me during the national anthem and half-wondered whether someone had pointed me out as the author of that incident which the Mail on Sunday had splashed all over the front page of its review section, about which she would not have been too pleased.' No longer in the tent, but not quite out of it, celebrated diarist Chris Mullin gives his take on the twelve turbulent years since he left Parliament. With his trademark wit and keen eye for the absurd, he recounts events from the fall of New Labour to the death of the Queen. Rich in anecdote, this candid new volume includes encounters with movers and shakers from all political parties and with citizens from all walks of life, from dustmen to dukes. "One of Mullin's charms is his readiness to like people who don't echo his politics." Jenni Russell, Sunday Times

Chris Mullin was the Member of Parliament for Sunderland South from 1987 to 2010. He is a former chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee and was a minister in three departments. He is the author of four novels, the best-known of which, A Very British Coup, was made into an award-winning television series. More recently he published a sequel, The Friends of Harry Perkins. His three previous volumes of diaries have been widely acclaimed.