Theresa May is to release a book about a series of political scandals, titled The Abuse of Power, which promises to reveal the way institutions close ranks in order to avoid dishonour.
The former prime minister has never released a memoir but the book – due to be published in autumn 2023 – promises to reveal the story behind famous scandals including the Hillsborough and Grenfell tragedies, the Daniel Morgan police corruption case and parliamentary dramas.
May was in office at the time of the Grenfell fire in 2017 and was a key backer of families of those killed in the Hillsborough disaster, both as prime minister and home secretary. She also promises to reveal more from behind the scenes of the Salisbury poisonings, as well as her own campaign to change stop and search.
The book’s synopsis mentions little about May’s time in No 10 and nothing about the battles of the Brexit years. It says May will discuss how “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”.
It says she will argue for “a radical rethink in how we approach our politics and public life”.
Announcing the book, May said it was part of her continued campaign to address “burning injustices” that she spoke about on the steps of Downing Street upon becoming prime minister.
“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,” she said.
“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.”
