Year of the rat follows former journalist Harry Shukman as he goes undercover with Hope not hate. Shukman works with hope not hate to infiltrate various far right groups across Britain over a year. The book narrates his time within these groups and the information he uncovered.
Year of the Rat provides a compelling analysis of Britain’s far right and has never been more relevant. The book shows how widely organised groups are and how easily action is organised.
Shukman begins his journey by joining a group called “The basketweavers”. The group had 1300 vetted members as of 2024 making them one of the biggest far right groups in Britain. Shukman recounts weekly meetings in a Wetherspoons where the members of the group would juxtapose their conversations of conspiracy theories on their gripes with daily life. Like many groups of its kind the basketweavers seem to prioritise attracting young men, unhappy with their lives.
The group has promoted race science influencers as well as an Irish white nationalist Keith O’Brien who described himself as a “raging antisemite.” Within the book Shukman uses the basketweavers as a stepping stone to network with other far right groups.
Next shukman joins Britain first during a local election campaign. Shukman recounts his experiences travelling and campaigning with the group. Going door to door handing out campaign leaflets and marking interested individuals down on a map. The candidate standing in the local election was Paul Goulding, the leader of Britain first.
In 2020 Goulding was charged under the terrorism act for refusing to allow access to digital devices upon returning from a trip to Russia. Throughout the book Shukman speculates on the relationship between the group and Russia and the threat that could pose. Britain first has a history of “patrols” and hotel protests, tactics shared by groups more locally such as Aberdeen against illegal migration.
Once Shukman establishes himself within the right he travels to Warsaw for the annual independence march. The march is highly controversial for acting as a meet up for various far right groups. In 2025 the march saw around 150,000 participants. Anti immigration sentiment is commonplace in the march, with banners reading “stop immigration, time for deportation.”
Shukman also attended a conference in Estonia, where the influence of race science in the far right movement became evident. As Shukman interacted with higher level group members the emphasis on “purification” was clear. Members of the group discussed mandatory sterilisation and eugenics to remove “unfavourable” characteristics from Britain.
People at the conference told Shukman of the involvement of the pioneer fund in projects of theirs. The pioneer fund was founded in the US in 1930, that pushed race science and raised money for projects and papers. After the end of the second world war the pioneer fund went dormant due to its involvement in nazi Germany.
The mention of the fund suggests then that these groups are looking towards race science to justify their hate. Official funding for far right groups in Britain means greater organisation and reach.
The book ends with the revelation that Andrew Sabinsky, the former number 10 advisor was boasting of his informal influence in Rishi Sunak’s nuclear power road map. Sabinsky had resigned not long after joining number 10 over past controversial remarks such as advertising compulsory contraception and stating in a 2014 blog post “you will see a far greater percentage of blacks than whites in the range of IQs 75 or below, at which point we are close to the typical boundary for mild mental retardation.”
Despite this Sabinsky claims to still have influence on the government decision making both in the conservative party as well as the labour party.