My Books

My investigations and books have led to systemic change. For me, that’s the power of good writing. For example, my investigative journalism and legal action against the British Parliament for disclosure of MPs’ expenses was the catalyst of the expenses scandal of 2009. This led to the biggest clear-out of politicians in decades and the resignation of the Speaker of the House. A new government was elected on a manifesto of transparency.  The following year, I obtained some 251,287 US diplomatic cables from a Wikileaks insider and worked with The Guardian newspaper on a month-long exposé of global diplomatic relations, which had a global impact.  I’ve investigated everything from the British police and Crown Prosecution Service, to food hygiene and local councils. 

My three non-fiction books put power back into the hands of citizens as opposed to the state.  Your Right to Know (Pluto Press) is a guide to the Freedom of Information Act. The Silent State (Heinemann) looks at the imbalance between what the state knows about us compared to what we know about it. The Revolution Will Be Digitised (Heinemann) explores how hackers, social networks and online technology are re-shaping society.

I am now finishing my debut novel which envisions women gaining political power. Imagine Fight Club crossed with Animal Farm but with women instead of men or animals. I hope readers will find it a fascinating antidote to all the bombastic bully boy bullshitting that characterises so much of our political world today.