The Final Cut

In the final instalment of his extraordinary saga about scheming politician Francis Urquhart, Michael Dobbs offer yet more rich controversy. In House of Cards Francis Urquhart used his inside knowledge as Chief Whip to grasp power. As the newly elected Prime Minister in To Play the King he had a memorable battle of wills with the new King. Now in The Final Cut he faces the most formidable challenge of all.

For more than a decade Francis Urquhart has towered above the parliamentary scene. In a few months he will become the longest-serving Prime Minister this century, his place in the record books assured. But the century appears to be growing tired of him. The end of an era, they say, time for a change – a sentiment echoed by his ambitious colleagues. The movement to force him from power seems to be gathering irresistible momentum.

But Urquhart is not ready to retire, still less to be driven from office. If the public demand new blood to revive a tired administration, that is precisely what he will give them. The blood of his Cabinet critics – even the blood of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus – will be freely shed as he takes his battle to survive onto the international stage.

This is a different Francis Urquhart – more vulnerable, more loving, and more ruthless than ever. He will risk everything to claim his place in the history books, but one thing is certain: whatever the outcome of this, his greatest gamble, the name of Francis Urquhart will never be forgotten.