Former prime minister Theresa May is to release a book on the “abuse of power” in a series of political scandals, according to reports.
The Conservative MP is said to cover the Hillsborough and Grenfell Tower disasters as well as the Daniel Morgan case in a forthcoming publication.
May was in office at the time of the Grenfell fire and was involved in establishing a panel to examine Mr Morgan’s unsolved murder while she served as home secretary in 2013.
The book has been acquired by Headline publishing company and is scheduled for publication in autumn, according to The Bookseller.
Titled The Abuse of Power, it is described as “a searing expose of injustice and an impassioned call to exercise power for the greater good”.
“Devastating results”
Non-fiction publisher Martin Redfern acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Jonathan Lloyd at Curtis Brown in an exclusive submission.
Its synopsis reads: “As prime minister for three years and home secretary for six years, Theresa May confronted a series of issues in which the abuse of power led to devastating results for individuals and significantly damaged the reputation of, and trust in, public institutions and politicians.
“From the Hillsborough and Grenfell tragedies, to the Daniel Morgan case and parliamentary scandals, the powerful repeatedly chose to use their power not in the interests of the powerless, but to serve themselves or to protect the organisation to which they belonged.
“The Abuse of Power is a searing expose of injustice and an impassioned call to exercise power for the greater good.
“Drawing on examples from domestic and international affairs she was personally involved in at the highest level, including Stop and Search and the Salisbury Poisonings, the former prime minister argues for a radical rethink in how we approach our politics and public life.”
Determination to “fight burning injustices”
May said: “When I stood on the steps of No 10 as prime minister for the first time I set out my determination to fight burning injustices and govern not for the powerful but for the people.
“Time and time again, during my period in government, I saw public institutions abusing their power by seeking to defend themselves in the face of challenge rather than seek the truth.
“These were the very bodies whose job was to protect the public, but they sought to protect themselves.
“From Hillsborough to Primodos to child sexual exploitation this increased the suffering of victims and delayed justice.
“Our democracy depends on people having trust in their public institutions and politicians. I am delighted to be working with Headline as the accounts I give in this book show how that trust has been eroded over time and why we need to act.”
Redfern said: “This book tackles head-on one of the critical issues of our time – the loss of trust in politicians and institutions. Theresa May has dedicated her political life to exposing injustice which she traces all the way back to her upbringing, and she does not pull her punches in The Abuse of Power. We are absolutely thrilled to be publishing this important book on Headline’s non-fiction list.”
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