Troublemaker

Poverty, politics and the price of speaking out in Westminster

By: Tara Jane O'Reilly

Narrated by: to be announced

A powerful and explosive memoir of poverty and politics, and the realities of life in Westminster.

Tara Jane O’Reilly grew up on a council estate a mere bus ride away from Parliament, but a world away from the hallowed halls of power.

Dropping out of school at sixteen after a childhood marred by alcoholism, poverty and homelessness, no-one would have predicted a career that would span burrito bars, Sadiq Khan’s mayoral campaign team, and ultimately, working her way up through the Labour Party, mingling with the elites of British politics.

This isn’t a salacious tell-all book; it’s a book about class and power. It’s about the parallels and contrasts of growing up in the borough of Westminster and working in the Palace of Westminster. It’s about learning that the systems that are designed to protect and support you are fallible. It’s about the realities of trying to change the system from within whilst feeling like you don’t belong.

Ultimately, this is a book about the necessity of causing trouble to enact meaningful change, even if you end up being labelled a troublemaker in the process.

©2026 Tara Jane O'Reilly