Smooth Operator: The life and times of Cyril Lakin, editor, broadcaster and politician

From a humble background in Barry, where his

father was a butcher and local politician in the

formative years of the new town, Cyril Lakin studied

at Oxford, survived the First World War, and went

on to become a Fleet Street editor, radio presenter

and war-time member of parliament. As literary

editor of both the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday

Times, Lakin was at the centre of a vibrant and

radical generation of writers, poets and critics,

many of whom he recruited as reviewers. He gained

a parliamentary seat and served in the National

Government during World War II.

The different worlds he inhabited, from Wales

to Westminster, and across class, profession and

party, were facilitated by his relaxed disposition,

convivial company, and ability to cultivate

influential contacts. An effective talent-spotter and

catalyst for new projects, he preferred pragmatism

over ideology and non-partisanship in politics: a

moderate Conservative for modern times.