Former Cabinet minister Nadine Dorries’ book about the downfall of Boris Johnson has been delayed as it undergoes final legal checks.
The former-Mid Bedfordshire MP has penned a book titled The Plot: The Political Assassination Of Boris Johnson. It was due for release on September 28, days before the Conservative Party conference.
The book will now be released on November 9. According to ITV, publisher HarperColins said a “small delay is necessary to allow for the huge volume of material the author has consulted, the number of high-level sources spoken to, and the required legal process needed to share her story”.
Dorries, a firm supporter of Johnson, is said to have received £20,500 as a partial advance for the book. It claims to unveil “political dark arts” were afoot in the run up to Johnson’s resignation.
Dorries said: “What began as an investigation into how Boris Johnson was removed from office ultimately revealed a corruption of democracy deep at the heart of the Conservative Party and in Downing Street.
“Secrecy, fear and the cloak of anonymity have protected those who wield power in the shadows, until now.
“It makes The House Of Cards appear tame, but this is no made-up tale, it’s for real and for the first time, their political dark arts are about to be revealed.”
Johnson resigned as PM in 2022 after a number of MPs withdrew their support following a series of scandals. He reverted to life as a backbench MP until he quit earlier this year ahead of the Commons Privileges Committee publishing a report suggesting he should be suspended for 90 days.
Dorries, a former culture secretary, handed in her resignation as an MP over the weekend. It means a by-election is now due to be scheduled for Mid Bedfordshire.
She had faced growing pressure to act on her June pledge that said she would step down with “immediate effect”. Her resignation was thought to be in protest at not getting a peerage in Johnson’s resignation honours.
