Sir Graham Brady was the soul of discretion as chairman of the 1922 committee of Conservative MPs, the definitive insider who played a central role in the fall of four prime ministers.
Now, the 56-year-old is coming out with an “explosive, tell-all” memoir that will reflect on his 27 years in the Commons before he steps down at the next election, according to his publishers Ithaka Press.
Kingmaker: Secrets, Lies, and the Truth about Five Prime Ministers is slated for release on November 7 but will be published “as close as possible to the general election”, it said.
Sir Graham has been MP for Altrincham and Sale West since 1997 and chairman of the 1922 committee almost continuously since 2010 - apart from a brief period in 2019 when he flirted with running for party leader himself.
In those 14 years he has sparred with five Conservative PMs and overseen the departure of four - David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.
“From coalition to Brexit, Covid to Partygate, Trussonomics to this year’s election, our government has never felt so fractured. And as Prime Ministers have come and gone, one man has been at the heart of every leadership challenge, seeing all, but saying nothing. Until now,” Ithaka Press said.
Only the 1922 chairman was privy to how many letters of no confidence were coming in from Tory MPs as successive premierships unravelled - and Sir Graham never let slip if the required number was nearing to trigger an election.
When he did appear before the cameras, it invariably spelt trouble for the incumbent of No10, but his affability also made him a popular figure in Westminster.
Sir Graham said: “Kingmaker tells this remarkable story, and I’m delighted to be working with [Ithaka Press] to share it with readers later this year.”
