Londoner’s Diary
Boris Johnson’s memoir is finally on the way. His publisher, HarperCollins, has announced that the book will be released on October 10. It also has a title: Unleashed.
“I am honoured that HarperCollins is publishing my personal account of the huge realignment that took place in UK politics in the last 15 years — and what may lie ahead,” Johnson wrote in the press release. “So stand by for my thoughts on Britain’s future to explode over the publishing world like a much-shaken bottle of champagne.”
The former prime minister bagged a £500,000 fee for the book, which he announced he was writing in January last year.
Its enigmatic title suggests retribution for those who kicked him out of Downing Street. A promotional image, released today, shows Johnson standing in shadows.
The suitability of his champagne metaphor will depend on political circumstances. We only note that Sir Tony Blair’s book on political leadership is out around the same time so the pair will be competing for shelf space. If Labour is in power, the words of Sir Tony, who has grown close to Sir Keir Starmer, might carry more weight than those of a former Conservative PM.
Where’s Vic?
With two weeks to go until polling day, hacks are wondering if they will ever get a campaign appearance from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s wife Victoria. While she has appeared with her husband before at political events such as the Labour party conference, Lady Starmer has been notably absent from the general election campaign when compared with the PM’s spouse, Akshata Murty.
Some Labour apparatchiks say she is simply busy doing her job (she works in occupational health in the NHS) and that it is a bit old-fashioned to expect political leaders to travel the country arm in arm with their partner.
However, Lady Starmer did make one public engagement this week. She appeared at Westminster magistrates’ court on Wednesday to give evidence in the trial of three activists charged with public order offences after they protested about Gaza outside the Starmer family home in April.
“I felt a bit sick, to be perfectly honest,” Lady Starmer told the court. “I felt apprehensive and uncomfortable.” The three activists were found guilty.
