Dame Margaret Hodge - Battle Axe

Champagne socialist, national treasure, or battleaxe? Dame Margaret Hodge has spent over fifty years in public service fighting on every front—from challenging Margaret Thatcher to taking on tax-avoiding tech giants and standing up to political extremism. Following her elevation to the House of Lords, the former Labour Minister and Chair of the Public Accounts Committee comes to Tring with her memoir, Battleaxe. She joins us for a candid, forthright discussion on victories, setbacks, and a lifetime in British politics.


Date	Saturday 14^th November 2026
Time	10:00 AM
Doors Open	9:30 AM
Venue	The Dembe Theatre (Formerly The Court Theatre)

Standard Ticket - No Book	£14.00
Standard Ticket and Signed Copy of Battle Axe	£32.00
Members earn 5 points per ticket

About the Book: Battleaxe

Born in Alexandria to Jewish refugee parents, Margaret Hodge arrived in England aged four—stateless and foreign. That instinct to battle back defined a extraordinary 50-year career as councillor, council leader, MP, Minister, and life peer.

In her forthright memoir Battleaxe, Hodge reflects on a lifetime spent in the thick of British political life. From taking on the BNP in Barking to holding Amazon, Google, and HSBC to account as the formidable Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, she offers an unvarnished account of the personal and political battles that shaped her.

About Margaret Hodge

Margaret Eve Hodge, Baroness Hodge of Barking DBE PC, served as Member of Parliament for Barking from 1994 to 2024 following ten years as Leader of Islington Council. A prominent Labour politician, she served as Minister for Universities, the UK's first Children’s Minister, and Culture Minister. From 2010 to 2015, she transformed public scrutiny as the first elected female Chair of the Public Accounts Committee. Elevated to the House of Lords in 2024, she serves as the UK’s Anti-Corruption Champion and is the author of the memoir Battleaxe.