David Cameron has always been proud of his Scottish, Welsh and English heritage, and of being all things to all people.
However, he was undeniably born into a life of privilege, and can claim bankers, Baronets and even royalty as ancestors. As a friend later said, ‘he was posh, even by Eton standards’.
Growing up in happy upper-middle class surroundings, he showed little interest in politics, leaving the Eton societies and Oxford Union to his contemporary Boris Johnson.
And yet right from the start his ambition was clear.
After Oxford, he quickly became one of the members of the young Conservative Party ‘Brat Pack’ at their Research Department, making friends who would be invaluable later in his career.
As Tory leader, he was the compassionate, modern and inclusive face of his party. A man keen to show he understood the concerns of ordinary people, and could lead the Conservatives to victory in the 2010 General Election.
Instead, he was forced to form a coalition, and as Prime Minister, has faced accusations that his Cabinet is an Old Etonian ‘boys club’.
Having weathered a Scottish referendum storm and anger over the financial cuts across British society, David Cameron must ensure his political survival in an upcoming election which, thanks to Nigel Farage, looks set to be even more unpredictable than the last…
‘Class Act’ is an incisive portrait of a leader who inspires admiration and loathing in equal measure, and yet who seldom loses his cool, or his political touch.