Reform UK’s ‘Children’s Book Bans’ Could Open the Floodgates for Censorship

On Monday, I gave what might have been my first ever fist pump for a House of Lords debate. Lord Watson of Invergowrie asked a question in the chamber about an investigation I published with Index on Censorship, where 53% of the school librarians I surveyed said they had been asked to remove books from their shelves. Even more worryingly, 56% of those librarians then felt forced to actually remove the books in question. 

An overwhelming number of the books ripped off school library shelves had LGBTQ+ themes or authors, and the bans were usually in reaction to a single parent complaint – or even school leaders acting in anticipation of causing offence among particular communities. I spoke to librarians who feared for their jobs, and others have been in touch since, telling me about the pressure they are under.

The debate in the House of Lords showed overwhelming support for the freedom to read, and it was heartening to see the Lords sit up and listen.

Fast-forward to Wednesday evening. Just as I was thinking about which picture book to read to my son (which may or may not have had LGBTQ+ themes), a Reform councillor was making plans to raid library collections across Kent.

Councillor Paul Webb told his X audience that one member of the public had contacted him with concerns about books with transgender themes in the children’s section of public libraries.

“I’ve today issued an instruction for them all to be removed from the children’s section of any of our libraries,” he said.

That’s 99 libraries. Based on one complaint. It was unclear from his video whether this related to one particular book or all books with a hint of transgenderness, but if the response from Linden Kemkaran, leader of Kent County Council, is anything to go by, we might assume that it was the latter. 

Forty minutes after Webb’s X post, Kemkaran gave a message of support, also on X: “Courage & common sense in #Kent from my brilliant colleague who’s acted decisively & REMOVED all trans-related books from our libraries children’s sections with immediate effect.”

So far, so murky. And then, a statement from Kent County Council made the issue even more confused.

Published in several news outlets, the statement said: “Kent County Council have confirmed that children are not and will not be exposed to adult transgender literature in our libraries.

“Staff at the county’s 99 libraries have been asked to ensure that books are always stocked in age-appropriate categories and that no adult literature makes its way into areas specifically aimed at children, or where children will be selecting books, such as the public welcome displays.

“It follows feedback from a resident who spotted a transgender book aimed at adults in a public display at the entrance of one library in Kent. The book has since been relocated to a section that is unlikely to be visited by children.”

There’s certainly a lot to be said here about what happens when you hand out instructions via social media, and the chaos that ensues. Kemkaran’s X post suggests that all books with transgender themes have been removed from children’s sections. The Kent County Council statement suggests that the book about which the complaint was made wasn’t actually a children’s book, and wasn’t even in the children’s section in the first place. So, what exactly is the truth?

I went on the Kent County Council library catalogue, and checked some popular children’s books with transgender themes. I won’t name the books. I wouldn’t want to put them in Webb’s firing line. All the books I checked were still classed as being in the children’s section, and were listed as available.

Whether books have indeed been banned, or a councillor is simply claiming that books have been banned, this is a dark moment for the freedom to read in the UK. Libraries in Kent have this week been a battleground for culture wars, and I fear they won’t be the last to become so.

There have been rumours of book ban demands happening in other Reform-led councils, but when I’ve asked the library services in question, they’ve denied having received such instructions. This is the first time it’s happened out in the open.

This is the kind of move we’ve already seen in the USA. Book censorship there has spiralled, with right-wing groups like Moms for Liberty and Republican politicians often leading the charge and calling for bans. Librarians have even received death threats and been investigated for holding LGBTQ+ content, as is very well-evidenced in a new film, The Librarians.

Up until this week, I could confidently say that library censorship in the UK was happening behind closed doors (not that that’s any better), and that incidents, whilst concerning, were not necessarily widespread. I can no longer say that. When a councillor publicly seeks to ban children’s books from a children’s section, something has shifted, there is a certain audacity to it. And now, I worry that the UK floodgates have opened. Others will feel emboldened to take similar actions.

Book banners would argue that publications with trans themes should not be in the children’s sections of libraries, even when they are written for children. I disagree. Children’s books have been through a thorough vetting process, and library collections are curated for the communities they serve. When young people want to understand their own identities or those of their peers, a book is a safe place for them to find that information. The next likely destination – the internet – is a very different situation. And arguing about an adult book being on display outside the children’s section feels like quite the red herring.

A diversity of characters in stories, too, can surely only strengthen community cohesion and empathy, and develop young people’s imaginations. Banning books representing particular identities sends the message that there is something wrong with these identities. LGBTQ+ people will continue to exist, as they always have, and banning books about them will not change that. But it will cause serious harm along the way.

Something has changed when councillors are proudly proclaiming that they have banned particular books. It’s never been more important for us to ensure that libraries have the resources and support to create and defend diverse collections, and when a minority of voices are loud, we must not let them silence others. Otherwise, there may be more and more stories like the one in Kent.