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Tony Benn, bogeyman to some, beacon of hope and light to many

A collection of speeches and articles reminds us that ‘the most dangerous man in Britain’ was thoughtful, kind, entertaining and one of the most appealing politicians of the postwar period – writes a Conservative MP

5 April 2025

9:00 AM

5 April 2025

9:00 AM

The Most Dangerous Man in Britain? The Political Writing Tony Benn, edited by Melissa Benn

Verso, pp.304, 20

Among the most striking things about Tony Benn was his friendship with Enoch Powell. They entered the House together in 1950 and became regular presenters on The Week in Westminster before falling out over ‘rivers of blood’ and then making up. For Benn, politicians were ‘weathercocks’ or ‘signposts’, and Powell, like himself, was the latter.

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