As he ploughs on with his long overdue biography of William Shakespeare, Boris Johnson has plans to follow it up with a book about a writer he finds eminently more fascinating: himself.
“He’s referring to it as his ‘interim’ autobiography and I think he sees it as a way of launching a comeback,” my bookworm informs me. “He kept his nose clean with Rupert Murdoch, so there’s probably a million quid in it for him if he goes with one of his publishing houses, so it really is a no-brainer. The million from Murdoch for an autobiography is now more or less seen as part of the prime ministerial severance package since David Cameron gleefully pocketed his cheque for his mind-numbingly boring tome.”
He adds: “Boris’s book will almost certainly cause more division in the Tory party as Boris really does see himself as a man more sinned against than sinning. He is, of course, no fan of Rishi Sunak and there’s a lot he could say about him and some of the members of his cabinet that would be very destabilising for the current administration.”
When exactly Johnson’s “interim autobiography” might come out is, however, anyone’s guess. Hodder & Stoughton put £500,000 Johnson’s way for the Shakespeare book in 2015 and they’re still waiting…
