Tony Benn, Pure

Tony Benn, Pure

As national institutions go, Tony Benn is definitely one of our most treasured. From drawing the hard-to-please rock ’n’ roll masses at Glastonbury to appearing in Vogue and being mates with glamorous celebs like Saffron Burrows, he is that rare politician whose appeal stretches across the demographics — young, old, rich, poor. He has always been a man of the people and probably more synonymous with good old-fashioned British socialism than anyone since George Orwell. Benn has been a high-profile figure in this country’s political life for over 50 years. From a young age, his whole existence has been imbued with an overpowering, all-consuming commitment to combating poverty and war, and peddling his socialist alternative.