Politics
Jeffrey Archer, bestselling author and former MP, dies at 86
Jeffrey Archer, the bestselling author and former Conservative Member of Parliament, died at the age of 86. Archer, who served as a Conservative MP for five years and later as the party’s deputy chair, passed away “suddenly and peacefully” at his home “between writing sessions” on Monday, according to his publisher HarperCollins. He had been made a life peer in 1992 and returned to the House of Lords after his release from prison in 2003, retiring in 2024.
Archer’s political career ended in disgrace after he was convicted of perjury and perverting the course of justice. In 1987 he won £500,000 in damages from the Star newspaper in a libel action, but an Old Bailey jury later found he had lied in that case. He was imprisoned for four years, serving half of his sentence before being released early in 2003.
HarperCollins UK chief executive Kate Elton, who was Archer’s editor, said: “It has been one of the great privileges of my publishing life to have been Jeffrey Archer’s editor. He was the master storyteller and an editor’s dream – phenomenally hard‑working, utterly committed to completing draft after draft to get every word as perfect as possible, and a true champion of the team nature of great publishing.”
Archer’s death came less than 24 hours after he met and signed books for hundreds of fans at a sold‑out event with broadcaster Gyles Brandreth at the Leicester Square Theatre in central London on Sunday. Brandreth wrote on X: “Just yesterday I did a show with Jeffrey Archer to celebrate his new novel – he said it was to be his last. He was in the most wonderful, ebullient form and had such a great reception from a packed house. He was funny, engaging and self‑deprecating – a great storyteller to the last.”
Archer’s literary career began with his first novel, *Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less*, published in 1976, after he had been threatened with bankruptcy. The book marked the end of his time as a sitting MP and the start of a prolific writing career. He spent 14 years and five months on the Sunday Times bestseller list and over five years on the New York Times bestseller list, selling 300 million books in 119 countries in 49 languages. His 1979 novel *Kane and Abel* remains one of the world’s best‑selling books, with more than 30 million copies sold.
Archer was first elected MP in a 1969 by‑election for Louth in Lincolnshire at age 29, after serving as a Conservative councillor for Havering and running a Mayfair art gallery. He positioned himself as a centrist in Parliament, often rebelling against the right wing of the party. His political career stalled after a fraudulent investment scheme left him in debt, prompting him not to stand in the 1974 election.
He returned to politics after his literary success, becoming a popular speaker and being appointed deputy chairman of the Conservative Party in 1985. In 1986 he was embroiled in scandal when the News of the World alleged he had spent £2,000 on a “vice girl”, followed by a more detailed claim in the Star that he had paid a woman named Monica Coghlan for sex. Archer sued the Star, winning £500,000 in damages but setting the stage for his later downfall.
In 1999, when allegations surfaced that he had lied in the libel trial, Conservative leader William Hague said: “This is the end of politics for Jeffrey Archer. I will not tolerate such behaviour in my party.” Archer was expelled from the party in February 2000. He was charged with perjury in 2000 while starring in his own West End play *The Accused*, which ran at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.
Archer’s perjury trial began on 30 May 2001, a month after Monica Coghlan was killed in a road traffic accident. He was sentenced to four years at Belmarsh, a category A prison, and later moved to four other prisons before his release in 2003.
Former Tory minister Nadhim Zahawi paid tribute on X: “Jeffrey Archer was a dear friend and an extraordinary human being. His gift for storytelling was matched by his wit, warmth and boundless energy. Life was never dull in Jeffrey’s company.”
Archer was due to appear at the Cheltenham festival later in the month to discuss his forthcoming novel. He is survived by his wife, Mary, and their sons, William and James.