Westminster Diary: Volume 2: Farewell to Ministerial Office

As New Labour’s first period of government picks up steam, we find Bernard Donoughue working as a minister at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishing and Food. In this, the second volume of Donoughue’s House of Lords diaries, he chronicles his experiences – often frustrating, often hilarious – serving in the early years of Blair’s government, as he attempts to modernise MAFF by expanding its interests more broadly in rural affairs. It outlines Donoughue’s role in the EU’s agricultural policy, including as the UK minister at the Agriculture Council as well as his unofficial role in the lead-up to the Good Friday agreement. As with all Donoughue’s diaries, the book sheds a spotlight on the daily trials and tribulations of life in Westminster, told with trademark waspish wit, insight and humour.