Nadine Dorries is writing a book about Boris Johnson’s “dramatic downfall”, her agent Piers Blofeld has said.
The former culture secretary will publish the book next year, according to the Evening Standard. It is expected to be a further demonstration of Dorries’ loyalty to Johnson, and comes after reports that she is among a group of the former prime minister’s allies that are due to be rewarded with seats in the House of Lords. The working title of the book is The Political Assassination of Boris Johnson, suggesting that it will take aim at Rishi Sunak and others who encouraged the former prime minister to resign.
“Events lately have been stranger than fiction,” Dorries told the Standard. “And I will be drawing on that rich source material. It’s a political whodunnit.”
The MP for Mid Bedfordshire has previously written fiction, having signed a six-figure deal with the publisher Head of Zeus in 2013, shortly before she had to apologise to MPs for failing to declare her fee for being a contestant on I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!
Dorries has since written 16 novels, including the Four Streets series, set in a “tight-knit Irish Catholic community” in 1950s Liverpool, the first of which Telegraph critic Christopher Howse described as “the worst novel I’ve read in 10 years”. That didn’t stop it becoming a No 1 bestselling ebook, however, selling 100,000 digital copies within the first three months of its publication.
The publisher of Dorries’ non-fiction title has not yet been announced. Her current publisher, Head of Zeus could not be reached for comment. Dorries has not not disclosed how much money she was offered for it.
In an interview with the Sunday Times in October, when Liz Truss was prime minister, Dorries likened being in Johnson’s cabinet to having “protective wings around you”, adding: “To say I am disappointed … isn’t a strong enough word for what happened to him.”
• This article was amended on 16 November 2022 to add quotes from Nadine Dorries, provided to the Evening Standard, regarding her book. A previous version said she had not yet commented.
