Overview
- Metropolitan Police have launched an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct against David Walliams, who denies any wrongdoing.
- Library services in places such as York, Darlington and Westmorland and Furness say they will keep his books and follow professional stock rules that require illegal content before removal.
- Other bodies, including Telford & Wrekin Council and at least one academy trust running many schools, have pulled or temporarily withdrawn Walliams titles from school and library shelves because of safeguarding concerns.
- The Association of School and College Leaders has asked the Department for Education for clear guidance to help headteachers decide whether to remove the books from school libraries.
- Publishers and retailers have already distanced themselves and demand for Walliams’s work has fallen, so local stock levels and school access could continue to change as the police inquiry and official guidance progress.