Battleaxe: A Memoir

By Dame Margaret Hodge

A landmark memoir told through the campaigns and battles that Margaret has been involved in over the years, from being a rebellious teenager to a battling granny.

Here, she shares anecdotes and stories that are interesting, important and funny. She draws lessons from her experiences, many of which resonate with the challenges we face today.

Format: Hardback
Release Date: 10 Sep 2026
Pages: 272
Price: £25.00, £25.00 (Export Price) , €None

Dame Margaret Hodge was a Minister in the Governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, holding portfolios in the Departments for Education, Work and Pensions, Business, and Culture. She was the first Children’s Minister from 2003 to 2005, Minister for Universities from 2001-2003 and Minister for the Arts and the Creative Industries for the last years of the Labour Government. In 2010 she became the first elected Chair of the Public Accounts Committee and was also its first female Chair. She held the post for the full parliamentary term, retiring in 2015.In December 2024, she was appointed as the UK’s Anti-Corruption Champion.

PRAISE FOR CALLED TO ACCOUNT: -

The only figure in public life making a robust moral case for the honest payment of tax is Margaret Hodge – Zoë Williams ― Guardian -

She's a bit like a tarantula: you don't want to become intimate with it but you admire its danger and grace – Anonymous Conservative member of the Public Accounts Committee -

She is fearless, feisty, sharp as a tack and at the top of her game – Lynn Barber ― Sunday Times -

A shocking exposé of corporate misbehaviour and government waste, it has not had the attention it deserves – Chris Mullin ― Observer -

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