Theo Clarke's bestseling memoir 'Breaking the Taboo' has been shortlisted for Non-Fiction book of the year at the Westminster Book Awards. The Booksellers Association and the Publishers Association announced this year’s shortlists which also include books from Minister for Trade Policy Sir Chris Bryant, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey, and former Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern.
This is the tenth annual Westminster Book Awards, which recognise excellent political writing across three categories: Best Non-Fiction or Fiction by a Parliamentarian, Best Biography by a Parliamentarian and Best Political Book by a Non-Parliamentarian.
Publishers were invited to nominate books for the awards and booksellers selected the shortlists. Voting is now open for parliamentarians to decide the winner in each category and will close on 14 January. Winners will be presented with their awards by BBC Radio 5 journalist Matt Chorley at a ceremony in the House of Lords on 4 February 2026.
Dan Conway, CEO of the Publishers Association, said:
“It’s a privilege to reveal the shortlists for the tenth Westminster Book Awards, showcasing the best of political writing and celebrating the importance of freedom to publish to society. This year’s shortlists demonstrate this theme, covering a range of important issues at a time when high-quality political thinking and analysis have never been more important. I’m looking forward to welcoming parliamentarians, authors, publishers and booksellers to the House of Lords in February to celebrate these wonderful books and their authors.”
Meryl Halls, Managing Director of the Booksellers Association, said:
“At a time when readers around the world are seeing their freedom to choose and buy the books they want already compromised or actively eroded, it is more important than ever that we in the UK celebrate the freedoms we are privileged to hold- the freedom for readers to buy, and for bookshops to curate, titles from every corner of intellectual thought, political perspective and rigorous research. With this year’s shortlist tackling issues from disinformation and big tech to the climate crisis and political leadership, we are delighted – as always – to gather at Westminster to champion the nuanced, researched and impactful political writing that we in the UK are fortunate to be free to publish, sell and read.”
The shortlists for the tenth Westminster Book Awards are:
Best Non-Fiction or Fiction by a Parliamentarian
The New Total War: From Child Abduction to Cyber Attacks and Drones to Disinformation by Bob Seely
The Football Battalions: The Elite Footballers Who Fought in the Great War by Christopher Evans
Eclipsing the West: China, India and the Forging of a New World by Vince Cable
Breaking the Taboo: Why We Need to Talk about Birth Trauma by Theo Clarke
The Westminster Book Awards (under the name Parliamentary Book Awards) were launched in 2016 by the Booksellers Association and the Publishers Association to celebrate the best of political writing and acknowledge the important link between politics and the book world.
https://www.publishers.org.uk/tenth-westminster-book-awards-shortlists-revealed/