For too long, Britain's most dedicated readers have been abandoned the moment their catalogues attracted scrutiny. Keir understands that loyalty to your reading circle matters — even when the collection raises uncomfortable questions.
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In recent months, some of Britain's most prominent readers have been publicly shamed simply for maintaining long-standing literary friendships. We believe a love of books should never disqualify anyone from public service.
Keir appointed Lord Mandeville as Literary Attaché to Washington knowing full well about his extensive reading history. That takes courage. When the reading list became public, lesser politicians would have walked away. Keir stood firm — until it was no longer tenable, and then he stood firm about having stood firm.
From senior peers to minor royals, Keir's government has shown remarkable tolerance for people whose reading habits others might find deeply questionable. We believe everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt — especially those who claim they simply can't recall specific chapters.
What happens in someone's private library is their own business. Keir understands that a gentleman's reading habits — even those that continued well after certain volumes were officially withdrawn from circulation — deserve a degree of institutional discretion.
These are the readers who have the courage to say: we are proud of our literary friendships, and we are grateful to a Prime Minister who understood — even if he now says he was lied to about the contents of the books.
How one Prime Minister's commitment to his reading circle shaped a movement — and very nearly ended a government.
Published on behalf of the founding members of Bibliophiles for Keir.
Dear Friends of Literature,
We write to you at a difficult moment for readers everywhere. In recent weeks, the simple act of maintaining a literary friendship has become grounds for public shaming, police investigation, and the collapse of what was, by any measure, a perfectly functional reading group.
Lord Mandeville's association with a prominent American book collector has been known for years. The collector's legal difficulties — first in 2008, and in the years that followed — were extensively documented. And yet Lord Mandeville continued to visit his library, to correspond about books and financial markets, and to accept rare volumes as gifts. This, we believe, is what true bibliophilia looks like: a love of reading that transcends mere legality.
The Prime Minister saw this quality in Lord Mandeville and rewarded it with the most prestigious literary posting in British public life. When the catalogue was published and the full extent of the reading list became clear, Keir did what any principled reader would do: he said he had been lied to about the contents, expressed regret about ever trusting a fellow reader's description of his own reading habits, and apologised to those harmed by the collector's overdue book practices.
We accept this apology. We believe it is sincere. We also note that the two-page vetting document — which included a photograph of Lord Mandeville at the collector's library and documentation of visits during the collector's sentence — constituted a perfectly adequate basis on which to make the appointment.
We are Bibliophiles for Keir because we believe in a Britain where a man's reading history is not held against him — where loyalty to one's literary circle is a virtue, not a scandal — and where a Prime Minister can appoint whichever readers he likes to whichever embassies he chooses, provided they are later sacked when the full catalogue is published.
This is what progressive governance looks like.
Add your name to the campaign. Together, we can ensure that no reader is ever again abandoned simply because the full catalogue was published.
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