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No Way to Run a Country

An Outsider’s Journey into the Heart of Our Broken Politics

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No Way to Run a Country

Written by: Johnny Mercer
Narrated by: Johnny Mercer
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Read by the author, Johnny Mercer.

Brutally honest, insightful and darkly funny, No Way To Run A Country is former Cabinet minister Johnny Mercer’s account of a tumultuous nine years in Parliament, under five prime ministers, including Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.

In this deeply personal memoir he reveals what Westminster and government is really like . . . and why, for all our sakes, we need to see change.


Johnny, who fought in Afghanistan in 29 Commando Regiment, was fired up with anger at the poor treatment of veterans by successive governments. Determined to do something about it, in 2015 he stood for election in his beloved city of Plymouth. This political outsider was on a mission to change the country.

Johnny’s experiences in Westminster veer from hilarious to infuriating as he refuses to accept the gap between what governments say and what they do. As a result he is threatened, briefed against and sacked as a minister – twice! Politics is a blood sport, whatever your party.

He sees a system riven with infighting, incompetence and inertia, struggling through Brexit, the fall of Afghanistan and numerous self-inflicted crises. There are many good MPs who deserve better. The public certainly does.

As the outsider becomes the insider, he succeeds in creating the UK’s first Office of Veterans’ Affairs and introduces legislation to protect their rights and service. But for Johnny, who has his own daily battle with crippling OCD, the long fight comes at a cost.

Perfect for listeners of Politics on the Edge and Ungovernable.

©2026 Johnny Mercer (P)2026 Macmillan Audio
Europe Great Britain Politicians Politics & Activism Politics & Government World
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Critic Reviews

Remarkable. Deeply personal, moving and funny. Johnny is not your typical person or politician (Alastair Campbell, co-host of The Rest is Politics)
An extraordinary book by an extraordinary person (Rory Stewart, author of Politics on the Edge and co-host of The Rest Is Politics)
Few memoirs make you feel optimistic about the possibilities of politics. Johnny Mercer doesn't hold back about what is deeply broken in our system, but demonstrates the great difference one man can make. Enlightening and eye opening (Sebastian Payne, columnist, leader writer and broadcaster at The Times)
A raw battle cry from the veteran soldier and politician who has fought for his country (Rachel Johnson)
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