UKIP study wins £10,000 prize at Political Book Awards
While a study into UKIP won at this year’s Political Book Awards, others including the AIDS crisis by Lord Fowler and another by gay MP Chris Bryant were not so successful.
Robert Ford’s ‘Revolt on the Right: Explaining Support for the Radical Right in Britain’, won the £10,000 prize at the Political Book Awards this week.
‘Parliament: The Biography’ by Labour MP Chris Bryant was also nominated in the Political Book of the Year category.
Lord Norman Fowler’s ‘AIDS: Don’t Die of Prejudice’, was nominated in the Polemic of the Year category, as well as Owen Jones’ ‘The Establishment: And How They Get Away with It’ but both lost out to ‘An Inconvenient Genocide: Who Now Remembers the Armenians?’ by Geoffrey Robertson.
The ceremony, attended by 400 guests, took place at the BFI IMAX cinema on 28 January.
Judging, and donating the prize money was Lord Ashcroft, as well as Mary Beard, MP Keith Simpson, Lord Adonis and journalist Ann Treneman.
“Revolt on the Right is an insightful book which is scholarly and analytical, yet accessible and readable at the same time,” said Ashcroft presenting the award.
“It is a superbly timed work that does exactly what it says on the tin, charting the reasons for the rise of Ukip as a political force.”
Iain Dale founded the awards, who said: “2015 is a massive year for everyone in politics, and by definition anyone who writes about it”.
“The role of these awards in showcasing and encouraging the finest political writing has never been more significant. These are the books that have helped shape our thinking and will continue to do so right up to the general election and beyond.”
The full list of winners is available to view on the Political Book Awards website.
