Westminster Book Awards 2025 shortlist features Sarah Wynn-Williams, Ed Davey and Jacinda Ardern

This year’s Westminster Book Awards shortlist has been revealed and features Sarah Wynn-Williams, Ed Davey and Jacinda Ardern among others.

The award, which is presented by the Booksellers Association (BA) and the Publishers Association, marks its 10th year in 2025 and recognises 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.

Books were nominated by publishers, and the shortlist was selected by booksellers. Voting is now open for parliamentarians to decide the winner in each category and will close on 14th January. Winners will be presented with their awards by BBC Radio 5 Live journalist Matt Chorley at a ceremony in the House of Lords on 4th February 2026.

Dan Conway, CEO of the Publishers Association, said: “It’s a privilege to reveal the shortlists for the 10th 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 BA, 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.” 

Continues...