Boris Johnson to publish memoir ‘like no other’ after signing book deal

Boris Johnson has struck a deal with publisher HarperCollins to write a memoir that publishing sources say will earn him more than £6m.

No date has yet been set for the release of the book, with the announcement coming only several months after Mr Johnson was forced from office and amid ongoing speculation that he might harbour ambitions to return to frontline politics.

His wife Carrie Johnson is also believed to be writing a book.

Arabella Pike, publishing director at HarperCollins’ William Collins imprint, promised a prime ministerial memoir “like no other”.

She said: “I look forward to working with Boris Johnson as he writes his account of his time in office during some of the most momentous events the United Kingdom has seen in recent times.”

The disgraced former PM’s fee is undisclosed, but publishing insiders have suggested he could be paid more than £6m.

Other prime ministers who have written memoirs are believed to have gained a hefty six-figure sum for their deals.

Tony Blair reportedly made £4.6m for his memoir A Journey, while David Cameron was reported to have earned £1.5m for his memoir, For The Record.

Margaret Thatcher was reportedly paid £3.5m for a two-book deal after leaving office in 1990. Like Mr Johnson and Mr Cameron decades later, the Iron Lady also signed with Harper Collins, reportedly at the urging of owner Rupert Murdoch, the press magnate who is said to have had a close relationship with the prime minister in the 1980s.

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This week the former PM was urged to come clean about his financial affairs and end his Conservative leadership ambitions, as the former prime minister became embroiled in a fresh row over money.

The prime minister is thought to have secured an £800,000 line of credit while he was at No 10, backed by a millionaire relative who was suggested for a top role at a quango.

One source told the Sunday Times Mr Johnson had been close to “going broke”, and the line of credit was said to have been made available for his living costs, including divorce payments.

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It comes as The Independent revealed that a bitter row has emerged amongst Tory plotters over how best to return Mr Johnson to his former role as leader of the party.

The discord is yet another setback as the ex-PM faces a rough start to the new year.

Last week, reports claimed he had quipped that a leaving do held at No 10 while Covid lockdown restrictions were still in place was the “most un-socially distanced party in the UK right now”.

Friends of Mr Johnson also suggested that he may have to strike a deal with Rishi Sunak and agree to refrain from challenging the current prime minister’s leadership in return for a safer seat in the next general election.

Senior military figures also criticised Mr Johnson over a planned trip to Ukraine, with one accusing him of “looking for publicity” in a war zone.

With such a notorious run as PM, tainted by the scandalous saga of Partygate and finally ousted by a string of senior minister resignations, it is not difficult to speculate what the memoir has in store.