‘Erasing histories and voices’
Once seen as a culture war confined to the USA, book censorship is gaining ground in the UK. Authors, librarians and teachers warn of mounting pressure to remove titles from school libraries, particularly those on race, identity and social justice issues. In March, nearly 200 titles were pulled from one Greater Manchester school library, including books by Black authors such as Nova Reid’s The Good Ally. Talking to journalist Kitty Melrose, Reid explains why these removals matter, while library organisations, unions and teachers sound the alarm.
The freedom to read is under threat in the UK. Authors, librarians and educators warn that books exploring race, identity, the empire and LGBTQ+ lives are increasingly being challenged, restricted or quietly removed from school libraries.
The issue came into sharp focus in March when writer and activist Nova Reid revealed that her book The Good Ally had been ‘culled’ from a school library in Greater Manchester after being deemed ‘inappropriate and discriminatory’. ‘I felt disappointed and aggravated,’ says Reid. ‘It’s erasing histories and voices and controlling.’
Index on Censorship reported that her book was among nearly 200 titles taken off the shelves at the school, alongside works by other Black authors including Reni Eddo-Lodge, Bernardine Evaristo, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Dean Atta. It alleged the school used AI to generate justifications for the removals after the headteacher objected to a non-fiction title. The librarian, who was threatened with safeguarding action, later resigned.
According to Manchester newspaper the Mill,he school in question, Lowry Academy, subsequently denied ‘banning’ books, stating it had carried out an audit of age- and content-appropriate material, with most titles eventually returned to shelves. Yet the distinction between temporary removal, restriction and outright bans is less significant than the broader trend: decisions about what young people can read are increasingly shaped by fear, pressure and ideology.
Reid says her book, which covers mental health, healing, justice, history, civil rights, belonging and raising socially conscious children, has been used in schools to inform anti-racist policies and discussions.
‘Many people think we’re inheriting this [issue] from US politics, and it’s absolutely been influenced by that,’ she says. ‘But this deliberate targeted erasure isn’t new because establishments know books change hearts and minds and alter societies – that’s why they are banning them.’
‘If we look at history, the British were removing books from shelves in colonies as a method of domination and control, and to keep people ignorant and uninformed. Removing my book, which tells the truth, is a sober signal of where we are right now. Fascism is on the rise in the UK, and it breeds through ignorance.’
‘The backdrop of escalating book bans in the US’
Concerns over censorship in the UK come against the backdrop of escalating book bans in the US. The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom reported a record 5,668 book bans from US libraries in 2025. It also found that 39 per cent of the 4,235 unique titles challenged ‘represent the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people and people of colour’. The ALA said 92 per cent of challenges came from pressure groups, decision-makers and government officials rather than parents or teachers.
That shift, from isolated complaints to coordinated politically driven activism, may now also be emerging in the UK. A 2024 poll by Index on Censorship found that 53 per cent of UK school librarians had been asked to remove books. Of those, 56 per cent complied. Research from University College London in 2025 found censorship attempts in school libraries were becoming ‘increasingly prominent’.
Carol Webb, chair of the School Libraries Group of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), says the books being challenged are ‘written by Black and LGBTQ+ writers; ones that feature LGBTQ characters or identities; books about social and political change’. She adds that the AI-generated book list used at Lowry Academy ‘resembles the goals of Project 2025 for book removal in the US’, referring to the right-wing policy blueprint advocating restrictions on educational content and library materials.
But the scope is extending beyond contemporary non-fiction. Teachers report that even canonical works and classic literature are being scrutinised. Titles on the Lowry Academy list reportedly included the 1984 graphic novel and the Twilight saga, raising more questions about how ‘appropriateness’ is being defined and applied in schools.
‘The consequences go far beyond individual titles’
All of this is taking place at a time when reading for pleasure among children and teenagers is at a 20-year low, prompting a parliamentary inquiry and national campaigns to reverse the trend.
For authors like Reid, the consequences go far beyond individual titles. ‘Part of the reason we’re in the political, socio-economic climate we’re in today is because people don’t know the truth of our history,’ she says.
She argues the backlash against anti-racist books reflects a broader unwillingness to confront structural inequality. ‘Banning books like mine highlights why we’re no further forward with addressing anti-Blackness and systemic racism in this country. We’re more offended by what people like me are highlighting than the harm itself.’
Her concerns are echoed by educators and unions. ‘Denying access to books is a suppression of those voices and experiences,’ says Webb. ‘For young people, it means they may no longer find themselves represented in the literature available in the library. This can lead to alienation from reading and institutions.’
She continues: ‘Non-fiction books about racism written to help readers learn about the topic and explore approaches to reducing racial injustice are labelled “racist” as the reason for their removal. By closing discussion of racial injustice, one perpetuates the systemic harms of racism. If injustice for one group is dismissed and ignored, it gives license for other social iniquities to be continued too.’
‘Alarm bells for all of us’
At its annual conference in April, the National Education Union (NEU) passed an emergency motion opposing library censorship and defending ‘intellectual freedom and children’s rights’. Members reported both internal and external censorship of library materials, including challenges to books discussing race, sexuality and even artistic nudity.
NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede warned that attempts to censor school libraries ‘based on misinformation and fear-mongering’ should ‘ring alarm bells for all of us’, adding that children’s access to a wide range of literature ‘is a fundamental good’.
Another worry is that a culture of caution is taking hold. As pressure grows, librarians may avoid stocking potentially controversial titles altogether; teachers may hesitate to introduce challenging material. Over time, this can create a quieter form of censorship, shaping collections before a complaint is ever made.
There is, however, growing resistance. Organisations including the Society of Authors, CILIP, English PEN and the School Library Association have condemned restrictions, as threats to freedom of expression and books that show diversity.
‘For many children and young people, the school library is the only place they can access books,’ says Victoria Dilly, chief executive of the School Library Association. ‘Inclusive bookshelves are an integral part of the school community.’
She says greater recognition in librarians’ professional expertise would help schools navigate challenges around books: ‘School librarians do more than shelve books. They are trained, trusted educators who help children and young people navigate the world through stories.’
‘We would be interested to collaborate with the Department for Education on guidance for collection development that would support schools in creating policies that confirm the school librarian’s professional authority and provide a clear framework for handling concerns about specific titles.’
CILIP is calling for a central reporting system for book challenges, and recently appointed an Intellectual Freedom Committee to support library and information professionals in countering censorship. Meanwhile, the NEU is working with organisations on a toolkit for librarians facing challenges, and Index on Censorship continues documenting cases and publishing censored writers.
‘Safeguarding and suppression’
If there is a common thread running through these debates, it is the tension between safeguarding and suppression. Schools have a duty to ensure materials are age-appropriate, but some argue this principle is increasingly being stretched to justify ideological filtering. ‘We know of two instances where safeguarding has been used in a punitive manner to censor and scare the librarian,’ says Webb.
Reid is blunt about the stakes: ‘Books hold knowledge. They are keys to understanding and change. They help you understand yourself better or someone who is completely different to you.’
Webb says denying access limits young people’s ability to engage critically with the world: ‘It means they have fewer chances to explore knowledge and develop critical literacy skills, making them vulnerable to misinformation, disinformation and malinformation. In turn, this affects their political literacy and life chances.’
So what to do in response? Reid encourages young people to question removals, seek out books and use libraries. ‘There are plenty of lists of banned books. I recommend reading them.’
Read Nova Reid’s The Good Ally and see her live London show Worthy at the Bloomsbury Theatre on 23 June.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the Runnymede Trust.
Join the fight for racial justice: support the Runnymede Trust’s work by making a donation.
Photo © JohnnyGreig/iStock
