My former colleague, John Shepherd, who has died aged 82, was a leading historian of the Labour party. His book George Lansbury (2002) was acclaimed by Michael Foot as “the best biography of a Labour leader ever”.
John established Lansbury as a major figure in interwar politics and subtitled the book “At the Heart of Old Labour”, an indication of his own politics, which were driven by a strong ethical commitment to leftwing causes including trade unionism, comprehensive education and Labour itself.
