Portcullis House in Westminster and Big Ben. Image – Getty: RedefinedPictures
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
‘Never More Important’
Many of our readers in recent years have been interested in the United Kingdom’s Parliamentary Book Awards from the Publishers Association and Booksellers Association.
One reason may be that, even in the world of nonfiction, this competition has been unreservedly aimed at political writings.
This is said to be the only political book awards curated by bookstores and voted for by lawmakers. The more divisive political dynamics seem to get, the less willing many appear (especially politicians) to simply say that something is or is not politically engaged. However, this program has never stepped around simply saying that—a refreshing bout of candor and also a much-needed recognition that good political writings can be of enormous value in any society.
Today (January 8), the Publishers Association in London has contacted us to say that the Parliamentary Book Awards have been renamed in their ninth year: the Westminster Book Awards are announcing the program’s three shortlists for this year.
As you may remember, this is a competition that spares awards-weary souls a longlist. It goes right to its shortlists, and then to its winners, with gracious efficiency. The date now set for the winners’ announcement at the Houses of Parliament is February 12.
The 2025 Westminster Book Awards Shortlists
Fiction or Nonfiction by a Parliamentarian
- Another England: How to Reclaim Our National Story by Caroline Lucas (Penguin Random House UK / Hutchinson Heinemann)
- Let’s Be Honest: Truth, Lies, and Politics by Jess Phillips (Simon & Schuster UK / Gallery UK)
- The Inequality of Wealth: Why It Matters and How To Fix It by Liam Byrne (Bloomsbury)
Biography by a Parliamentarian
A point of interest here for many of our readers who are familiar with the London independent house Swift Press for its publication of Richard V. Reeves‘ Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What To Do About It. The press now has a Westminster Book Awards shortlistee for Alan Johnson’s biography of Harold Wilson. It’s among the shortlists in the biography category of the Westminster Book Awards.
- Harold Wilson: Twentieth Century Man by Alan Johnson (Swift Press)
- Rivals in the Storm: How Lloyd George Seized Power, Won the War and Lost His Government by Damian Collins (Bloomsbury)
- Eight Weeks: Looking Back, Moving Forward, Defying the Odds by Baroness Lola Young (Penguin Random House)
Political Book by a Non-Parliamentarian
It’s of particular interest, of course, that this year’s shortlist in political work from non-parliamentarians features Patriot: A Memoir by the late Alexei Navalny and the BBC journalist Sarah Rainsford’s Goodbye to Russia: A Personal Reckoning From the Ruins of War (Bloomsbury). The two books were published two months apart, Rainsford’s in August and Navalny’s in October.
- Patriot: A Memoir by Alexei Navalny, translated by Arch Tait and Stephen Dalziel (Penguin Random House UK/ Bodley Head)
- Broken Threads: My Family From Empire to Independence by Mishal Husain (HarperCollins / Fourth Estate)
- The Lie of the Land: Who Really Cares for the Countryside by Guy Shrubsole (HarperCollins UK / William Collins)
- Failed State: Why Nothing Works and How We Fix It by Sam Freedman (Pan Macmillan)
- Goodbye to Russia: A Personal Reckoning From the Ruins of War by Sarah Rainsford (Bloomsbury)
Dan Conway
In commenting on this year’s round of shortlists for today’s announcement, Publishers Association CEO Dan Conway says, “The Westminster Book Awards showcase the very best political books, and this year’s shortlists cover a range of important and thought-provoking subjects both nationally and internationally.
“The awards are a highlight of the publishing and political calendar and I am hugely looking forward to welcoming Parliamentarians, authors, publishers and booksellers to the House of Commons in February to celebrate these books and their authors.”
Meryl Halls
And Meryl Halls, the Booksellers Association’s managing director, says, “We are delighted to see such strong shortlists for all the categories of the newly renamed Westminster Book Awards.
“The awards ceremony is a highlight of the year, bringing together members of parliament and peers with booksellers and publishers.
“It’s a great moment to celebrate the breadth of writing by and about parliamentarians, along with the fact that focusing on our politics and our political landscape has never been more important.”
As the organizers like to remind us, the Westminster Book Awards were launched under the name Parliamentary Book Awards in 2016 by the Booksellers Association and the Publishers Association to celebrate the best of political writing and to acknowledge the important link between politics and the book world.
More from Publishing Perspectives on publishing and book awards is here, more from us on the United Kingdom’s book market is here, more on the Publishers Association is here, more on nonfiction is here, and more on political books is here.