For every politician who 'gets to the top', to No.10 Downing Street, there is at least one, sometimes more, who was going to be Prime Minister. THE LOST LEADERS consists of three long biographical essays about 'the best Prime Ministers we never got'. R A Butler, Denis Healey and Iain Macleod had their faults and made their mistakes, but given their sheer ability and essential good judgement, their reaction - by party misjudgement, intrigue or lack of talent for getting, but not doing, the job - robbed us of the best men of their time. Edward Pearce gives a sympathetic account of three fascinating lives. He also looks for the reasons why an obvious high talent is so often rejected for the supreme job. Too rough in Denis Healey's case Not rough enough in Butler's Offending the prejudices of the party as Iain Macleod did Too busy working to plot properly Too left- wing, not left-wing enough Too clever by half - or, too clever