My first book, The Political Class: Why It Matters Who Our Politicians Are, was published by Oxford University Press in April 2018. It is available from Amazon, OUP, Hive, Waterstones, and Foyles (and all other good bookshops). It also available on Amazon Kindle.
I have discussed elements of the book on BBC Westminster Hour (January 2018) and on BBC Radio 4’s Moral Maze (December 2021).
Reviews and endorsements
Allen’s book, and the current political quagmire, make a convincing case that wholesale electoral reform – a phrase that has rarely quickened a newsroom pulse – should be higher up the agenda. (Daniel Clarke, Times Literary Supplement)
This is an academic work of political science. However the contentions of the author are clear and relevant to the unfolding debates on the future of democracy. (Paschal Donohoe, Irish Times)
A valuable intervention which will provoke many to think about how we can and should make politics ‘something that happens here with us and not there with them’. (Lawrence McKay, LSE Review of Books)
The balanced case for why educating future leaders in a few elite institutions is such a very bad idea. (Danny Dorling, author Do We Need Economic Inequality?)
The Political Class should become a key point of reference for those concerned about why parliament fails to reflect the make-up of the society it governs, and what exactly we can and should do about it. (Michael Kenny, Professor of Public Policy, University of Cambridge)