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Alexei Navalny, Jess Phillips and Alan Johnson win at Westminster Book Awards
Books by Alexei Navalny, Jess Phillips and Alan Johnson have been named the best political books of the year at the Westminster Book Awards. The winners were announced tonight (12th February) at the Houses of Parliament in London.
The runners-up in this year’s awards – which are curated by bookshops and voted for by parliamentarians – include politicians, journalists and writers such as Caroline Lucas, Damian Collins, Baroness Lola Young, Mishal Husain, Sarah Rainsford and Guy Shrubsole.
Labour MP Jess Phillips won the Best Fiction or Non-Fiction book by a Parliamentarian category for Let’s Be Honest (Gallery UK). Harold Wilson: Twentieth Century Man (Swift Press) by former Labour cabinet minister Alan Johnson won Best Biography by a Parliamentarian. Patriot (Bodley Head) by the late Russian opposition leader and anti-corruption activist, Alexei Navalny, won Best book by a Non-Parliamentarian.
The ceremony was hosted by broadcaster and author, Matt Chorley, who won in last year’s Best Political Book by a Non-Parliamentarian category.
The Westminster Book Awards (formerly the Parliamentary Book Awards) were established nine years ago by the Booksellers Association and the Publishers Association. They are the only political book awards curated by bookshops and voted for by parliamentarians.
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Dan Conway, CEO of the Publishers Association, said: "Congratulations to this year’s hugely deserving winners. These books showcase the breadth, quality, bravery and importance of political writing which is arguably more important than ever to help us understand the world in which we are living. We were delighted to welcome parliamentarians, authors, publishers and booksellers to the Houses of Parliament to celebrate these books and their authors."
Meryl Halls, MD of the Booksellers Association, said: "At this inflection point, where we are all concerned with how to address polarisation and counterbalance misinformation, the role of brave, nuanced and well-researched political writing and the bookshops that play a crucial role in curating and championing them has never been more important. Therefore, we’re proud to have come together united at Westminster tonight to celebrate the winning and shortlisted books and authors that exemplify the power and importance of political writing."
The award ceremony was held at the Houses of Parliament and featured speeches from Booksellers Association vice-president, Debbie James, Publishers Association president, Perminder Mann and Valerie Vaz MP, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Publishing.
