You May Never See Us Again: The Barclay Dynasty: A Story of Survival, Secrecy and Succession
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‘A tour de force’ – Guardian
‘Forensic … Strong on financial detail’ – Financial Times
The untold story of post-war Britain. Told through the lives of the two men who helped shape it: Sir David Barclay and Sir Frederick Barclay.
You May Never See Us Again is the only definitive story of David and Frederick Barclay – commonly known as the Barclay brothers. Born poor, these enigmatic twins built one of the biggest fortunes in Britain together from scratch and spent six decades at the epicentre of British business, media and politics. Their empire, said to be worth £7bn at its height, included Littlewoods, the Ritz Hotel, The Daily Telegraph and the channel island of Brecqhou. They were major advocates for Brexit and well-connected with influential politicians including Margaret Thatcher, Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage.
And yet despite their fortune and influence, their fiercely guarded desire for privacy has meant that their story remained largely unknown – until a very public family dispute pitched Barclay against Barclay in the High Court.
Journalist Jane Martinson unravels the fascinating story of these once inseparable billionaire brothers. Through their lives she offers compelling insights into post-war Britain, from the conditions that enabled their way of doing business to thrive through to the tightly enmeshed webs of influence between capitalism, politics and the media that shape Britain today.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Penguin Business (19 Oct. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 320 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0241660696 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0241660690 |
| Dimensions | 16.2 x 3.4 x 25 cm |
by Kevan Wood
Inseparable twins to a family at war all because of money
by Martin 9325
If you are interested in business you will enjoy this account of how the Barclay brothers made their purported billions. As one would expect they flew close to the edge of fiscal prudence on occasions, all billionaires do, but Jane Martinson’s very readable book shows that Frederick was bankrupt at one time and there is no evidence that they ever repaid one of the loans they took out from the Crown Agents. Their reluctance to repay Lloyd’s Bank the £1 billion plus loan they currently owe the bank seems to indicate not repaying in full is a habit. It seems unlikely they were ever really worth the £6 billion that was frequently attributed to them. I was left wondering if their odd behaviour and the way they were so secretive about their business was because the whole enterprise was more smoke and mirrors than a viable business. Chickens come home to roost and Frederick’s inability to pay his ex wife the £100 million divorce settlement has exposed this business empire as being more a banana republic.
by R. Parry
For connoisseurs of the business pages this book is a feast of information and insight. Part biography, part history and part Shakespearean family drama. The story of the rise and fall Barclay Brothers is an ideal narrative backdrop to provide a fascinating explanation of how the UKs finance and property industries rose from post war ruins to create the gleaming monuments to capitalism that adorn much of London today.
At the heart of the book is the, frankly hard to believe, tale of two identical twin brothers raised in the poverty of, the then, very unfashionable bits of West London, through building their own £100m plus Xanadu like castle on a private island , to owning the Ritz, to being newspaper barons at the Telegraph, to being knighted and providing extravagantly generous private housing to the late Margaret Thatcher in her final years. Weird fact follows surprising revelation. The story drives towards the ultimate irony of two obsessively private people having the minutia of their lives hung out on the tabloid washing line of a vituperative high court action revealing deep and painful fractures in a dysfunctional family.
Jane Martinson’s background as a long-time Guardian journalist jumps off the page both for the top quality of the writing and highly detailed (in places perhaps a touch too detailed) research. There is also to a constant sense of puritan disapproval of the Barclays and everything they represent.
Author Martinson opens her story, and it reads as much as an enjoyable novel as a business book, with lines from Shakespeare’s Tempest ( very appropriate for beleaguered island dwellers) but she could equally have chosen King Lear.
This excellent book must surely be followed, quite soon, by an enlarged second edition as, at the time of this review, the sale of the Telegraph and the family litigation is still ongoing.
by Big John
This is not, exactly, the best-written book in the world but we get the drift of the Barclay family and it is not edifying.
by Paul2010
Books about business and finance aren’t always the most exciting reads, but this one is a bit of a page turner. Jane Martinson has carried out an enormous amount of research on the Barclay brothers, with the aim of lifting the lid on one of the UK’s most successful and secretive families. The result is a riveting read that, as the title suggests, really does delve into their story of survival, secrecy and succession. From a private island to familial squabbles and ownership of one the UK’s leading newspapers, it’s all there. Would probably make a great TV mini-series, too. Great work.
by JP
Really enjoyed this tale of greed, tax havens and, ultimately, failure. A story which should have been openly told many times while it was happening, rather being restrained by a phalanx of lawyers.
by arch23
A thoroughly researched account of the rise and fall of the Barclays twins that reads like a best selling novel – and the story hasn’t finished yet with the battle for the Telegraph still playing out in the news. Will make a fabulous docuseries!!
by HJS
The history of the Barclay brothers is fascinating – a classic rags to riches in some way but told in a way that emphasises both the human – their disagreements about succession for example – and historical. Over the past decade their businesses have struggled to make money and huge debts have remained unpaid. The story culminates with two humiliating court cases, one regarding inter-family espionage at the Ritz Hotel and the other a £100m unpaid divorce settlement to the ex-wife of one of the brothers. The final humiliation was the seizure of the Telegraph Group by Lloyds Bank in 2023.
The book reads like a fast paced detective story with great anecdotes and quotes from some of the key businessmen that worked with or met the brothers over the six decades of their professional lives. It is also a story about power and political influence with close connections to many of the key politicians of this period including Margaret Thatcher, Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage.
The book reveals much about modern Britain from the wealth acquired through the property market (often using borrowed money), to the use of offshore companies and trusts to obfuscate outsiders and avoid paying tax. It also illustrates how the brothers used their wealth to weaponise the law and intimidate journalists from learning too much about their lives and the influence they had on both the UK political and business world before the recent court cases blew their privacy apart. Great read.