Westminster Book Awards 2026

Thank you all for being here and can I welcome you all to this the 10th

Westminster Book Awards and for me, a personal pleasure as well, as Chair

of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Publishing.

Baroness Margaret Hodge is unable to be here but on behalf of all of us I want

 to thank her for sponsoring this evening’s event.

This evening is a celebration – of authors, of readers, of booksellers, and of

publishers everyone who works in the industry.

All those who together ensure that important political writing is not only created,

but championed, shared, and brought into the public square.

And it is also a reminder of the remarkable history of the book world itself.

Bookshops and publishers have been part of our national story for generations.

Bookshops such as P&G Wells, which opened in 1729, and publishers such as

Oxford and Cambridge Universities Press–which both date back to the 16^th

century have been serving our nation and their communities through centuries 

of political change.

Of course the Open University Press; the Open University celebrates 60 years of 

the White paper that led the way to life long learning;   

The book trade has witnessed governments rise and fall, movements emerge, 

rights won and contested, and society transformed.

Through it all, books ,journals and pamphlets  have remained one of the most

 enduring ways we explore, challenge, and understand politics.

At their best, political books do far more than analyse events or recount history.

They challenge complacency.

They expose injustice.

They help us see the world more clearly.

And they give voice to those whose stories too often go unheard.

And I think we can all feel that clarity is especially important now in the political

moment we’re living through.

In moments like these, thoughtful writing becomes even more vital.

There is a line in the book Careless People:( by Sarah Wynn Williams) the

Impermanence of importance; 

Because democracy depends on more than elections.

It depends on an informed public, on honesty, on accountability, and on the

willingness to engage with complexity rather than slogans.

But books do not reach people by magic.

They reach people because of the whole chain of commitment behind them:

authors who write, publishers who take risks and invest in ideas, and booksellers who bring those stories to life in communities across the country.

What bravery from those on the shortlist; 

For me and many of us it’s the physical book which touches all our senses, 

whether the books are old or brand new;

So tonight, as we mark 10 years of the Westminster Book Awards,

we celebrate not only individual achievement, but the role books play in our

national life.

We celebrate the writers who enrich public debate. like the Palestinian writer

Sondos Sabra who said: 

“In our country, dreams demand a patience that exceeds human capacity”

We celebrate the publishers and booksellers who ensure those voices are heard.

And we celebrate the enduring power of books to bring understanding, honesty,

and hope in difficult times.

we are all looking forward to “ Speeches by Mark Carney”;

It is the Year of Reading for pleasure-  Keep reading,

To all in the book industry: Our children and our country need you; 

Thank you all for being here,

thank you to everyone who has made these awards possible over the last

decade,  and congratulations to all those shortlisted this evening.

I hope you enjoy what promises to be a wonderful celebration

I will now hand over to the CEO of the Publishers Association, Dan Conway