&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Jeffrey Archer, bestselling novelist and former UK politician, dies aged 86: A look at his scandal-plagued politics")
British bestselling author Jeffrey Archer, who served as a Conservative MP died suddenly at 86, his publisher HarperCollins said. In a statement on Tuesday (local time), the publisher said that Archer died “suddenly and peacefully at his home between writing sessions.” Incidentally, Archer died ahead of the launch of his final book “Adam and Eve.” He had a long career in writing that continued for 50 years. His editor, Kate Elton, called him a “master storyteller and an editor's dream.” He married to Dame Mary Archer in July 1966 and have two sons, William and James.
The author was a politician plagued by scandals. He once hoped to become mayor of London but his political career comprised of periods when he was tried for perjury and perverting the course of justice after a friend admitted he had supplied a false alibi during a libel case the peer brought against the Daily Star tabloid in 1987. He was also jailed.
When did he join politics?
Jeffrey Archer joined the Tories while a student at Britain's prestigious Oxford University. In 1969, he won a resounding by-election victory for Louth at just 29 years old, and became one of the youngest lawmakers at the time. His parliamentary career came to an abrupt end in 1974 when he was brought to the brink of bankruptcy by the collapse of a Canadian industrial cleaning company in which he had invested. However, he earned his fortune with his first book "Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less", published in 1975. In 1985, his labours were recognised by then prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who named him Conservative deputy chairman, describing him as a model Tory high achiever.
Scandals that plagued his political career
Things turned for him in the wrong way from 1986. He was forced to resign by what he described as a "lack of judgment" after sending £2,000 to a prostitute, Monica Coghlan. He maintained he only paid the money to help her escape hounding from reporters by going abroad and sued the Daily Star for suggesting otherwise.
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In 1992, he was recommended by Thatcher's successor John Major for a peerage, entitling him to sit in the House of Lords, the upper chamber of parliament. In 1999, he launched a campaign to become the Tory party's candidate to become the first elected mayor of London. But months later the claim emerged that he had asked a friend, Ted Francis to provide him with a false alibi against the Daily Star. This forced him to abandon his bid and he was expelled from the party. In 2001, he went on trial and was found guilty of perjury and perverting the course of justice. He was sentenced to four years in prison, ultimately serving two years before being released on parole in 2003. Archer retired from the House of Lords in 2024. His wife, Mary is Chancellor of the University of Buckingham.
