As divisive as he is beguiling, as misunderstood as he is scrutinised, Boris
Johnson is a singular figure. Many of us think we know his story well. His ruthless ambition was evident from
his insistence, as a three-year-old, that he would one day be 'world king'. Eton
and Oxford prepared him well for a frantic career straddling the dog-eat-dog
worlds of journalism and politics. His transformation from bumbling stooge
on Have I Got New for You to a triumphant Mayor of London was overshadowed only
by his colourful personal life, brimming with affairs, scandals and
transgressions. His ascent to Number 10 in the wake of the acrimonious,
era-defining Brexit referendum would prove to be only the first act in an epic
drama that saw him play both hero and villain - from proroguing parliament to
his controversial leadership of the Covid-19 Crisis, all against the backdrop of
divorce, marriage, the birth of his sixth child, revolts among Tory MPs and the
countdown to Brexit. Yet despite his celebrity, decades of media scrutiny, the endless vitriol of his
critics and the enduring adoration of his supporters, there is so much we've
never understood about Boris - until now. Previous biographies have either
dismissed him as a lazy, deceitful opportunist or been transfixed by his charm,
wit and drive. Both approaches fall short, and so many questions about Boris
remain unanswered. What seismic events of his childhood have evaded scrutiny? How has he so
consistently defied the odds, proved his critics wrong, and got away with
increasingly reckless gambles? What were his real achievements and failures as
Mayor of London, what was really going on during his time as Foreign Secretary,
and why did he write two articles for the Telegraph, one in favour of Leave and
the other for Remain? How have the women in his life exerted more influence than
any of us realise, and why is his story ultimately one overshadowed by family
secrets? Based on a wealth of new interviews and research, this is the deepest, most
rounded and most comprehensive portrait to date of the man, the mind, the
politics, the affairs, the family - of a loner, a lover, a leader. Revelatory, unsettling and compulsively readable, it is the most timely and
indispensable book yet from Britain's leading investigative biographer.
