IT’S one of the biggest political books of the year, but there’s something of a silence surrounding Lord Ashcroft’s new biography of Carrie Johnson.
First Lady: Intrigue at the Court of Boris and Carrie Johnson is published on Friday, but there won’t be a launch party. The book has a so-far unreported allegation that a Tory MP walked in on a startling scene between the couple in Boris Johnson’s Parliamentary office.
Lord Ashcroft is known for throwing book parties attended by politicos, often at Millbank Tower, down the road from Parliament. In 2015, he even addressed a packed room by videolink when he could not attend.
First Lady is critical of Carrie Johnson, alleging that she is Machiavellian, and pursued the Prime Minister when he was married. When the book was serialised, a spokesperson for the PM hit back strongly, saying the claims were sexist.
The book also suggests Carrie Johnson is influential on government policy. This week, one of the Bills she is thought to be most keen on, banning the import of hunting trophies, was quietly scrapped.
Sticky fingers? No, green ones
HARD-LIVING Stones guitarist Keith Richards has taken up a surprising new lockdown pastime: enjoying his garden. “I sat down and realised I had a garden. I’d never seen it do all of the things, like spring and summer… so that was novel,” Richards explained recently. Let’s hope he’s careful, as he had a brush with death after falling out of a palm tree in Fiji in 2006. Never thought you’d see a Rolling Stone gathering moss.
St Bride’s prays for Ukraine reporters
A CHURCH in the City of London is planning a service to celebrate the work of reporters risking their lives to cover the unfolding horror of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. St Bride’s, on Fleet Street, known as the journalists’ church, will hold a special service for the media in Ukraine next Thursday, March 24, at 11.30am, supported by the London Press Club. James Irving of the church tells us: “There are people in other countries under pressure not to report the real story, and we’ll be praying for them too.” If you would like to attend you can register online.
Lobby votes lead to mother of all gaffes
WESTMINSTER’S voting system may need updating. The SNP’s Mhairi Black explains that because MPs cast their votes by walking through two lobbies, after which doors are locked behind them, they sometimes make embarrassing mistakes. Black tells the Bare Naked Politics podcast that on “multiple occasions” she has seen MPs, including SNP colleagues, going the wrong way, before realising they are in the wrong lobby. They have then “locked themselves in the toilet saying ‘I messed up’”, and are rescued by the Serjeant at Arms. As Black says, ours is the mother of all Parliaments.
Martin’s one-man show at awards
LINE OF DUTY actor Martin Compton was an honorary lone man at Stylist’s Remarkable Women Awards at Leicester Square’s The Londoner Hotel. He presented his Vigil co-star Suranne Jones with actor of the year. Having fun were author Bernadine Evaristo and Spice Girl Mel B, who both won awards, with actress Aisling Bea. Everyone’s Invited’s Soma Sara won Campaigner of the Year and posed with Sabrina Elba. Also there were Stacey Dooley and Munroe Bergdorf.
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FRENCH president Emmanuel Macron drew mockery in some quarters for seeming to cosplay as Ukrainian president Zelensky with stubble and jeans for a photoshoot in the Élysée Palace. When asked if the Prime Minister might do the same yesterday, No 10 replied with a terse “no”. That Boris Johnson — he hates a photo op.
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LABOUR peer Lord Young was told off yesterday for falling asleep during a debate on the UK’s divergence from EU laws. Lady Bloomfield said, as she’d had to send him a note to wake him up, he shouldn’t be allowed to speak. Lord Young said he was “not now” asleep. Brexit has been wearying many for years.
