In this major new biography, John Shepherd draws on an impressive range of research in Britain, Australia, and the USA to reconstruct the life of George Lansbury, a charismatic Labour pioneer, and to estimate his importance in British politics. As Labour leader, Lansbury was known universally as a committed socialist an implacable opponent of capitalism and imperialism. He never sought personal wealth, travelled everywhere by public transport and made his home in impoverished East London. His final years were spent in a tireless international peace crusade to prevent world war.