Nadine Dorries’ book on the downfall of Boris Johnson will be delayed until November because of “the required legal process”, the publisher has said. The former culture secretary, who resigned as an MP last weekend, has been writing a book on her staunch ally, which had been scheduled for release on 28 September, just before the Conservative party conference in Manchester. It will now be released on 9 November, HarperCollins said. The publisher 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”. HarperCollins has described Dorries’ book as a “seismic, fly-on-the-wall account of how the saviour of the Conservative party became a pariah” and will feature “unparalleled access, from multiple inside sources talking with astonishing candour”. The former MP for Mid Bedfordshire – who received £20,500 as a partial advance from HarperCollins for The Plot: the Political Assassination of Boris Johnson – 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.” Dorries resigned last Saturday, two and a half months after first announcing her intention to step down as an MP in protest at not receiving a peerage in Johnson’s resignation honours list.
She has previously accused Rishi Sunak of “duplicitously and cruelly” blocking her from getting a peerage. Her announcement last Saturday came with a scathing attack on Sunak, in which she claimed the prime minister presided over a “zombie parliament”. She also accused the Tory leader of abandoning “the fundamental principles of Conservatism”, telling him: “History will not judge you kindly.” Dorries, who was elected as an MP in May 2005, added: “What exactly has been done or have you [Sunak] achieved? You hold the office of prime minister unelected, without a single vote, not even from your own MPs. “You have no mandate from the people, and the government is adrift. You have squandered the goodwill of the nation, for what?” Her resignation paves the way for another potentially awkward byelection for the Conservatives in what should be an ultra-safe Tory seat. In 2019, Dorries won the seat with a 24,664 majority over Labour. However, Sunak’s party is still reeling from the loss to Labour of Selby and Ainsty in North Yorkshire in a byelection in July. In that contest, Labour overturned a Tory majority of just over 20,000, suggesting that even the safest seats are now vulnerable.