Lloyd George, Vols 2 and 3, by John Grigg (Harpercollins, £12.99 in UK)

I have not read the first volume of this biography, but obviously there are more to come, since these two cover only the years…

I have not read the first volume of this biography, but obviously there are more to come, since these two cover only the years 1902-1911 and 1912-1916 respectively. From being Britain's leading radical politician and the People's Champion, by 1916 Lloyd George was on his way to becoming a warlord, from the time he ousted Asquith from the leadership of the Liberal Party and began an aggressive new policy on the Western Front.

Up to that, his main role had been as Chancellor of the Exchequer, though he also had to mobilise the nation's munitions industry for the sinews of war. Love affairs intrude occasionally, but Lloyd George never let them interfere with his work.