Former politician, novelist Jeffrey Archer dies aged 86

Former politician and author Jeffrey Archer has died aged 86, his publisher said in a statement.

Archer, who was a Conservative MP for five years before serving as the party's deputy chairman, died peacefully at his home between writing sessions today, Harper Collins said.

He had a successful career as a novelist alongside politics and was made a life peer in 1992, becoming the Conservatives' choice to fight for the party in the first London mayoral election.

But his campaign ended when his political career crashed in 2001 with the disgrace of his being imprisoned for four years for perjury and perverting the course of justice.

An Old Bailey jury found that he had lied in a libel action he had brought against The Star newspaper 13 years earlier, in which he had been awarded £500,000 damages.

He was released early in 2003 and returned to the House of Lords until he retired in 2024.

Archer made millions out of his best-selling novels, most notably Kane And Abel, after his first publishing success with Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less in 1976.

Harper Collins said the author had 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.

Writing on X, Brandreth said: "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 final novel Adam And Eve is being published today.

He and his wife Mary Archer celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this year.

They had two sons and five grandchildren.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she had received a message from Archer yesterday morning, ahead of the party’s conference in Birmingham.

"This is a huge shock," she said, writing on X.

"I am incredibly saddened to hear this news. He had sent me a lovely message just this morning and was always a great source of encouragement to me personally.

"I can’t believe he’s gone. He was a dear friend to so many of us and the Conservative family will be reeling at this news. Our thoughts are with Dame Mary and all their family at this time."

Former Tory Chancellor of the Exchequer Nadhim Zahawi wrote 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.

"Jeffrey, it was a privilege to call you my friend. You were one of a kind. May you rest in eternal peace."

Kate Elton, HarperCollins UK chief executive and 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.

"When he set out to write Adam And Eve he told me from the very beginning that it would be his final novel – he was so excited about the scale of it and told me that if he could pull it off it would equal anything he’d previously written, on which basis he couldn’t imagine embarking on any future novels.

"He did indeed pull it off – and he was utterly thrilled by the early reader reactions.

"We’re all devastated to have lost a writer who has brought joy to generations of readers – and a true friend."