Boris Johnson to write memoir about his time in Downing Street

FILE PHOTO: Outgoing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson delivers a speech on his last day in office, outside Downing Street, in London, Britain, September 6, 2022. Justin Tallis/Pool via REUTERS

LONDON — Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has struck a deal with publisher Harper Collins to write a memoir that will cover his role at the center of one of the most dramatic periods in recent British history.

Johnson stood down as prime minister in early September after his ministers resigned en masse over a string of scandals, including parties at the heart of government when the rest of Britain was under a strict lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Harper Collins said on Monday that Johnson had signed an agreement but did not give any details about how much he would be paid or when the book would be released.

Johnson’s time in office covered Britain’s departure from the European Union, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent revelations about parties that broke lockdown rules in government buildings, and Britain’s initial response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

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Arabella Pike, the publishing director at a division of Harper Collins, who has acquired the rights to the book, called it a “memoir like no other.”

“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,” she said.

Since leaving office, Johnson has made more than 1 million pounds ($1.2 million) for four speeches including to insurers and investors in blockchain.

Johnson, whose flamboyance has long been one of his hallmarks, was widely expected to resume his writing career and join the speaking circuit after leaving office.

His previous books include a biography of his hero and British war leader Winston Churchill and he had agreed to write a book about William Shakespeare before he became prime minister.

READ: I’m sorry and I’ll fix it, says UK’s Johnson after lockdown party report

In October, Johnson abandoned an attempt to reclaim the job he lost just weeks earlier after his successor Liz Truss was herself forced out as prime minister.

After racing home from a holiday in the Caribbean, Johnson said he did not believe he could unify the Conservative party’s lawmakers.

($1 = 0.8199 pounds)