Richard Austen 'Rab' Butler is frequently described as 'the best Prime Minister that Britain never had'. The description reflects his popularity with the electorate, credit that accrued to him from the revolutionary 1944 Education Act that generally bears his name, and his tenure of the three great offices of state.

In this full-length biography, Jago examines Butler's steady rise, his banishment from the inner councils of the War Cabinet, his remarkable revival as the progressive face of the post-war Tory Party, his four years at the Treasury, and the gradual but relentless eclipse of his career after Anthony Eden's accession.