Nadine Dorries has claimed that a new book by historian Sir Anthony Seldon supports her long-standing allegation that a Conservative fixer helped bring down the party’s leaders.
Ms Dorries made the claim after the publication of Sunak at 10: The Last Conservative Prime Minister?, written by Sir Anthony and Tom Egerton. The book examines Rishi Sunak’s premiership and the collapse of Conservative rule.
In her 2023 book The Plot, Ms Dorries alleged that a small group of influential men controlled the direction of the Conservative Party. She identified party official Dougie Smith as a central figure in what she described as an organised effort to influence the rise and fall of Tory leaders.
The claims were denied by those implicated. However, Sir Anthony’s account details Mr Smith’s alleged involvement in the political careers of Boris Johnson and Mr Sunak, who became prime minister in October 2022.
According to the book, Mr Smith helped both men to gain power before later turning against them. It says that, as Mr Sunak considered resigning as chancellor in 2022 in an attempt to force Mr Johnson out of Downing Street, Mr Smith told him: “Quit now. Get clear of this shit-show. Boris is going down.”
Mr Sunak resigned shortly afterwards, joining a wave of ministerial departures that contributed to Mr Johnson’s decision to leave office.
Ms Dorries said: “I am delighted that Anthony Seldon has verified what I [wrote]. Dougie Smith has run the Conservative Party for years.
“He decides who will be leader of the party, who will be PM and for how long. Kemi Badenoch may discover it won’t be too long before Smith is working to remove her, if he isn’t already.”
The former Conservative MP’s comments amount to an interpretation of Sir Anthony’s account rather than proof of the wider conspiracy alleged in The Plot. The new book, published on 27 August 2026, presents itself as an account of Mr Sunak’s time in No 10 based on interviews with members of his inner circle, Cabinet ministers and senior officials.
