Failures of State: The Inside Story of Britain's Battle with Coronavirus

Failures of State is a book by James O'Brien that tells the inside story of the UK's response to the pandemic from the Insight investigations unit at The Sunday Times. It exposes the extraordinary political decisions taken at the heart of Boris Johnson's government and exposes one of the most scandalous failures of political leadership in British history.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 512 pages
Publication date: 17 March 2022
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

The Sunday Times Bestseller


A Guardian and Sunday Times Book of the Year


‘An astonishing book, James O’Brien


‘A gripping, devastating read, Sunday Times


The inside story of the UK’s response to the pandemic from the Insight investigations unit at The Sunday Times


Failures of State recounts the extraordinary political decisions taken at the heart of Boris Johnson’s government during the global pandemic.


Fully updated and corroborated by hundreds of sources, this is the insiders account of how the government sleepwalked into disaster and tried to cover up its role in the tragedy.


Thrillingly told, it exposes one of the most scandalous failures of political leadership in British history.


‘A damning indictment, Alan Johnson, Observer


‘A devastating piece of journalism, Andrew Marr


This is a scandal, Piers Morgan

Weight: 370g
Dimension: 129 x 197 x 36 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780008430559
Edition number: Revised and updated edition