London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Boris Johnson writing memoir about his time as PM

Boris Johnson writing memoir about his time as PM

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has signed a deal to write a book about his turbulent time as prime minister, described as a "memoir like no other".

Publisher HarperCollins has bought the rights to the memoir, which is yet to be titled.

No publication date has been set for the account of Mr Johnson's time in office.

A biographer and friend of Mr Johnson said he expected the former PM to make a "vast sum" from the book deal.

"It will be tremendously readable and no ghost writer will be required," Andrew Gimson, author of The Rise of Boris Johnson, told the BBC. "People pay vast amounts of money for these books."

Literary agents have predicted Mr Johnson could be paid "north of £1m" for a memoir about his spell as prime minister.

HarperCollins refused to share details about how much Mr Johnson was paid for the deal, when the book might be finished, or how many copies it expected to sell.

In brief statement, its publishing director, Arabella Pike, 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."

Mr Johnson was forced to resign by his ministers last July after a series of controversies shattered confidence in his leadership.

He attempted a comeback after his successor, Liz Truss, quit within weeks of taking office, but ultimately stood aside, and saw Rishi Sunak become prime minister.

Mr Johnson's time in office was defined, in part, by the Covid-19 pandemic and the UK's departure from the European Union.


'Rescuing his reputation'


There has been speculation that Mr Johnson is plotting a return to frontline politics and has said he will stand again as an MP at the next general election.

Mr Gimson said the memoir will be "an important exercise in rescuing his reputation" and "part of the audience for this will be his own party".

"He's got to tell those people I'm worth another go," Mr Gimson said, predicting the book could be published this year.

A former journalist, Mr Johnson had a long career in the media before becoming prime minister, working as editor of the Spectator from 1999 to 2005 and as a columnist for the Telegraph.

Other UK prime ministers have secured lucrative books deals, receiving large sums for the publishing rights.

Sir Tony Blair was reported to have been paid about £5m in 2007 for his political memoir A Journey, while David Cameron was reported to have earned £1.5m for his memoir, For The Record.

Mr Johnson has already written a number of books, including The Churchill Factor, a biography of his hero and wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill.

As a backbench Conservative MP, Mr Johnson has also made a considerable amount of money touring the speaking circuit, declaring more than £1m in speaking fees since leaving office in September.

Last week, parliamentary records showed a company set up by Mr Johnson had received a £1m donation from crypto-currency investor.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×