Historian corroborates Dorries allegations of Conservative fixer orchestrating leadership changes
Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries has claimed that a new book by historian Sir Anthony Seldon backs up allegations she made in 2023 that a Conservative Party fixer, Dougie Smith, secretly manoeuvred to install and then oust successive party leaders. Sir Anthony's book on Rishi Sunak's premiership reportedly details how Smith helped both Boris Johnson and Sunak into power before working to bring them down, lending fresh weight to claims Dorries made in her own book, The Plot, which Smith and others named had previously denied.
According to Sir Anthony's account, Smith, who held a Downing Street pass from 2010 to 2024, urged Sunak in 2022 to resign as Chancellor to help force Johnson out, reportedly telling him "Boris is going down." Sunak did quit, and Johnson's premiership soon collapsed. The book also alleges that once Sunak became prime minister, Smith criticised his immigration policies as unworkable and told him he was "finished." Dorries said she was "delighted" the book verified her account, and warned that current leader Kemi Badenoch could eventually face similar efforts to remove her.
- Dorries says new book confirms her claims about a shadowy Tory fixer.
- Historian's book alleges Dougie Smith helped oust Johnson and Sunak.
- Dorries warns Kemi Badenoch could be targeted next.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Nadine Dorries says historian’s new book backs up her claim that a Tory fixer plotted to bring down its leaders – and warns he may still be pulling the strings”.