A new book just published will come as a surprise to those who have followed the fortunes of BRM here in Bourne because it reveals that Louis T Stanley, one-time owner of the company and well known in Formula One racing circles, was the illegitimate son of Herbert Asquith who was Prime Minister of Britain from 1908 to 1916.

Conspiracy of Secrets* has been written by his step-daughter, Bobbie Neate, who claims that Asquith had an affair with the young Venetia Stanley, an aristocrat's daughter, and now 100 years after these events took place, the truth behind one of the biggest cover ups in British political history has been revealed.

The BRM was developed in Bourne under the guidance of Raymond Mays and his associate Peter Berthon and between 1954 and 1970 the team entered its works Formula One cars under the official name of the Owen Racing Organisation headed by the industrialist Sir Alfred Owen. Mays and Berthon continued to run the team on Rubery Owen's behalf into the 1960s when it was handed over to Louis Stanley, the husband of Sir Alfred's sister, Jean Owen, his second wife who he had married in 1955 and mother of the author.

Louis and Jean Stanley became team principals for BRM from the 1960s and as Stanley-BRM from 1974 until the team's closure in 1977. He was therefore a frequent visitor to Bourne, always by chauffer driven car, but was not popular with staff at the workshops. "In fact he was intensely disliked and we were always glad when he had gone", one of the former motor racing mechanics who assisted the author with her researches told me this week.

The book is currently on sale through the Amazon Internet web site which also carries a review explaining that Bobbie Neate began to investigate her family's past after her mother’s death in June 2002 and she was soon questioning the strange events from her childhood. From hazy recollections grew firm lines of enquiry and eventually she was able to match her memories with actual historical data.

The review goes on: “Her stepfather, and indeed the man she had referred to as father for most of her life, had kept a huge secret and had lied about who he really was. In this intriguing biographical detective story, the author reveals that Stanley had hidden his true background from his wife and from the public and the result is a revealing personal memoir which uncovers what kind of a man he really was. His stifling influence over the author and her family is explored, as are the extraordinary lengths he went to in order to cover up his past and his true identity. The result of this quest is an enthralling journey not only into her own past but also the history of this country and its leaders. As well as serving as an important historical document which will challenge commonly held opinions of modern British history, the wonderfully researched book is a gripping story of forbidden love, betrayal and identity."

Louis Stanley died in January 2004, aged 92. Apart from motor racing, his other activities included writing, producing many books, and he was also one time honorary secretary of the Grand Prix Drivers Association and director general of the Grand Prix Medical Service. He was also one of the first to bring overt sponsorship into Formula One with the 1972-3 Marlboro cigarette livery.

Always known as Big Lou, he cut an imposing figure and had an aura of distinction that impressed many, especially foreigners who believed him to be a lord and he was sometimes referred to as Sir Lou. This book will do much to change that image.

* NOTE: Conspiracy of Secrets by Bobbie Neate is published by
Metro Books, London, price £17.99.

WRITTEN MARCH 2012