The Top 10: Most influential politicians outside parliament

People who have affected UK politics without being a member of the Houses of Commons or Lords, or of the Scottish parliament – since Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens turned down a seat for the Liberals as he thought he could effect change better through his books (Getty)

I started off with Nigel Farage, as he prepares to return to the decent obscurity of American talk shows, but immediately ran into questions of definition, so I refined it to mean people who have affected UK politics without being a member of the Houses of Commons or Lords, or of the Scottish parliament – since Charles Dickens.

1. Nigel Farage. The eternal question of the role of the individual versus social forces, but he has been an effective mobiliser of anti-EU opinion for two decades.

2. Charles Dickens. “Turned down a seat for the Liberals as he thought he could effect change better through his books,” said Rory Martin.

3. Florence Nightingale. Transformed healthcare – and the use of statistics. Nominated by John Duffield and Robert Wright.

4. Thomas Steels, railway signalman who proposed the motion sent to the Trades Union Congress in 1899 that led to the formation of the Labour Party. Thanks to John Rogan.

5. Sir Horace Wilson, adviser to Neville Chamberlain, 1937-39, “far more important than any cabinet minister, and an unusual combination of partisan Conservative and supposedly neutral civil servant”, said David Boothroyd.

6. Jack Jones, general secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union at the height of its power. According to Gallup, 54 per cent of the public believed he was the most powerful man in Britain in January 1977, ahead of James Callaghan; he torpedoed Barbara Castle’s In Place of Strife white paper on industrial relations in 1969 but held together the Social Contract and thus the 1974-79 Labour government. Nominated by James Undy and James Heale.

7. Paul Dacre, editor of the Daily Mail, 1992-2018. Thanks to Jon Davis, Ayesha Hazarika and John Moorcraft. Makes the media slot on the list ahead of Rupert Murdoch, nominated by Quantum Tarantino and Peter Hardy.

8. Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, writers of Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister. Thanks to Elliot Kane.

9. Charles and Jonathan Powell. Double nomination from Jill Rutter, Lee Donaghy and Martyn Rowe. Older brother became close to Margaret Thatcher; the younger was Tony Blair’s chief of staff and critical to the settlement in Northern Ireland.

10. Greta Thunberg. Contemporary nomination from Evilstepmother.

No room at the top for: Len McCluskey (“if not for him maybe we would have had David Miliband, Cameron defeated and country would be very different,” said Bryan); Jon Lansman (kept the flame of Bennism alive for 30 years); Peter Tatchell (Jon Davis, James Mendelsohn); Philip Gould (Red Jon); Sir Michael Barber (Jon Davis, Lee Donaghy); Sir Robin Day (“first political interviewer to transform the process from deference to a vigorous cross-examination of senior politicians including prime ministers,” said Robert Boston); Dominic Cummings (Mike Gallagher, Dr Magwai); Alastair Campbell (Stanislaus Ruhaltinger, Mike Cameron, John Moorcraft); Gina Miller (Nick Dean); and Lady Hale (president of the Supreme Court nominated by Marie Joseph).

A lot of nominations for Arthur Scargill, but his failure was not a condition of Thatcher’s success. Also for Emmeline Pankhurst, but her tactics, including arson, probably delayed the cause of women’s suffrage.

Next week: Things everyone talked about for ages which then went away, to give us an idea what it might be like after Brexit.

Coming soon: Underrated Elton John songs.

Your suggestions please, and ideas for future Top 10s, to me on Twitter, or by email to top10@independent.co.uk