The British Empire was the product of an outpouring of energy and opportunism, when British confidence was at its best.

Yet, as Kwarteng shows, many of today's global trouble spots are those left behind by Empire's incoherent policies and chaotic retreat. In Ghosts of Empire he views the British Empire from inception to demise, questioning the nature of its glory and cataloguing both the inadequacies of its ideals and the short-termism of its actions in Iraq, Burma and Hong Kong.

Kwasi Kwarteng was born in London to Ghanaian parents. He has a PhD in History from Cambridge University and was recently elected as the Member of Parliament for Spelthorne in Surrey. Times columnist, Hugo Rifkind, was named columnist of the year by Editoral Intelligence.