Camden Council has confirmed that books by children’s author David Walliams are being removed from display in its public libraries following allegations of sexual misconduct against him. Walliams denies the allegations and says he has not broken the law.
The north London council confirmed its approach on Wednesday 11 November. It said that, following the allegations, it considered removing the books from display to be the most appropriate action. The decision also covers Walliams’s memoir, Camp David.
A council spokesperson said the authority was committed to making Camden a safer place for women and girls, challenging harmful attitudes and promoting healthy relationships. The council’s statement referred to display; it did not explain whether copies would remain available to borrow by request or how long the arrangement would last.
Several women have accused Walliams of sexual misconduct, including claims that he groomed them when they were teenagers. One woman has alleged that he sexually assaulted her when she was 15. Walliams denies wrongdoing, including the allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse of power.
In a statement, the author said he regretted having behaved thoughtlessly towards some people with whom he had had casual relationships. He said he had never abused a power imbalance arising from his public profile and maintained that he was not a sexual predator.
Walliams had sought a High Court injunction to prevent publication of the allegations. The court dismissed his claim. The judge made clear that the proceedings did not determine whether the allegations, or any of them, were true. The dismissal of the injunction is not a finding that they were true.
Different decisions for schools
Camden’s action concerns its public libraries. Schools in the borough have been left to make their own decisions about whether to keep Walliams’s books available to pupils.
Elsewhere, school organisations have taken different steps. The Oasis Charitable Trust, which runs schools across England, has advised its headteachers to remove his books from school libraries temporarily. Its founder, Steve Chalke, said the advice was intended to protect children, including those for whom the news might bring back difficult memories.
GLF Schools, another academy trust, has also decided to remove Walliams’s books from its school libraries. These are decisions by individual organisations, rather than a single policy covering every school.
The Association of School and College Leaders has called on the Department for Education to provide guidance. Its general secretary, Pepe Di’Iasio, said school leaders were already having to make difficult decisions about whether the books should remain on shelves.
Other library services take a different approach
Public library authorities are not all responding in the same way. Kent County Council said it had no plans to remove Walliams’s titles and that its starting point was to make books available unless their content was unlawful. It said it did not make stock decisions through blanket bans on individual authors.
Surrey County Council said his books remained available to borrow. It also said demand for the titles had fallen significantly in recent years and that stock decisions took account of usage and the need for a relevant, balanced collection.
Libraries Connected, a charity representing and supporting public libraries, said the starting point under professional principles was that books should be available unless their content was illegal. It added that libraries regularly refreshed their collections in response to what their users wanted to read.
Walliams’s titles include Gangsta Granny, Billionaire Boy and Mr Stink. His publisher HarperCollins decided in 2025 not to publish new titles by him and later said it would no longer restock his back catalogue. Those earlier publishing decisions are separate from Camden’s response to the newly public allegations.
