Good Chaps: How Corrupt Politicians Broke Our Law and Institutions - And What We Can Do About It

An urgent, shocking survey of how corruption and cronyism shattered trust in politicians and institutions

The 'Good Chaps' theory holds that those who rise to power in the UK will almost always be trustworthy public servants - good chaps who can be trusted to follow the rules and do the right thing. It's only when bad chaps take office that things go wrong, and our unwritten codes of conduct are powerless to stop the sleaze.

Yet Britain appears to be run by a clique of bad chaps. Our politics and institutions are now awash with financial scandals, cronyism and a sure feeling that politicians can't be trusted. With a general election looming, what can we do about it?

In Good Chaps, Simon Kuper chronicles how corruption set in across public life, from oligarchs bribing MPs to donors who can buy party policy.

The chumocracy may be about to end, but will our politicians behave like good chaps again?