Boris Johnson

'Entertaining...essential...peppered with brilliant observations' Tim Shipman, Sunday Times

Andrew Gimson, whose previous book Boris is the essential read on Johnson's earlier career, returns with a penetrating and entertaining new account of Boris Johnson's turbulent time as prime minister, from the highs of a landslide election victory to the lows of his car-crash resignation. 

In Boris Johnson: The Rise and Fall of a Troublemaker at Number 10, Gimson sets out to discover how a man dismissed as a liar, charlatan and tasteless joke was able, despite being written off more frequently than any other British politician of the twenty-first century, to become prime minister. During his ascent, Johnson benefited from being regarded as a clown, for this meant his opponents failed to take him seriously, while his supporters delighted in his ability to shock and enrage the Establishment. He even changed the language of politics; a new word, ‘cakeism’, entered the English lexicon to describe his implausible but seductive claim during the Brexit negotiations that it was possible to have one’s cake and eat it.

In a series of brilliant vignettes, Gimson sheds light on the parts played by sex, greed, boredom and low seriousness in Johnson’s rise and fall, describes how Partygate fatally imperilled his prime ministership, and places him in a line of Tory adventurers stretching back to Benjamin Disraeli: disreputable figures who often blew themselves up, but who also could display an astonishing ability to connect with the British public.

What kind of a person is Johnson? What kind of a country would dream of making him its prime minister? And why did he fall? Nobody has got closer than Gimson to finding out the answers.

“' Engaging , perceptive and often funny . Gimson, a former parliamentary sketch writer for the Daily Telegraph , has an eye for detail and a sense of the absurd...littered with entertaining and revealing vignettes '”

'Entertaining...this is an essential book for anyone who seeks to understand [Johnson]. Gimson has a profound understanding of the character and urges of his subject... peppered with brilliant observations...A book that is elegant, wise and full of waspish delight...much to entertain, amuse and provoke thought.' -- Tim Shipman Sunday Times
'Engaging, perceptive and often funny. Gimson, a former parliamentary sketch writer for the Daily Telegraph, has an eye for detail and a sense of the absurd...littered with entertaining and revealing vignettes' -- Rachel Sylvester The Times
'Thought-provoking, exceptionally well written and informed by a deep knowledge of political history.' -- Andrew Sparrow Guardian
'Understanding how someone like Johnson became prime minister is both interesting and important... Gimson's tone is that of a witty and cynical dinner companion providing an insight into a famous friend... Johnson's attributes are reflected in this biography. It is entertaining and often funny.' -- David Gauke New Statesman
'Well-written, with a discerning eye for detail, Andrew Gimson’s biography sets out to understand the electoral appeal of a man so frequently dismissed as a charlatan and a clown.'.  -- Keith Simpson The House

Andrew Gimson is a writer and journalist who contributes to many different publications. His acclaimed life of Boris Johnson, Boris, described by Michael Crick as 'my biography of the year', first appeared in 2006 and was reissued and updated on numerous occasions. He is also the author of Gimson's Kings and Queens, Gimson's Prime Ministers and Gimson's Presidents.

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