Jeffrey Archer, bestselling novelist and disgraced former Tory MP, dies aged 86

Jeffrey Archer, the bestselling novelist and former Conservative politician whose career was ended by a perjury conviction, has died at the age of 86. HarperCollins said Archer died "suddenly and peacefully at home" on Monday, between writing sessions. The announcement came a day before the scheduled publication of his new novel, Adam and Eve.

Archer served as Conservative MP for Louth from 1969 to 1974 and later became the party's deputy chairman under Margaret Thatcher. His political life collapsed in 2001, when an Old Bailey jury convicted him of perjury and perverting the course of justice. The case stemmed from a 1987 libel action against the Star newspaper, in which Archer had been awarded £500,000 in damages. The court found he had asked a friend to provide a false alibi and had fabricated diary entries. Archer was sentenced to four years in prison and released in 2003, after serving half his term.

He returned to the House of Lords, where he had been made a life peer in 1992, but took no active role and gave up his seat in 2024. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described his death as a "huge shock", writing on X that Archer "had sent me a lovely message just this morning and was always a great source of encouragement to me personally".

Archer built a parallel career as a writer after bankruptcy forced him from parliament. His first novel, Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, appeared in 1976 and was adapted for radio and television. Kane and Abel, published in 1979, has sold more than 30 million copies. In total, Archer's books have sold 300 million copies in 119 countries and 49 languages, spending 14 years and five months on the Sunday Times bestseller lists and more than five years on the New York Times lists.

Kate Elton, HarperCollins UK's 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."

Archer had appeared at a sold-out event with broadcaster Gyles Brandreth at the Leicester Square Theatre in London on Sunday, signing books for fans. 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 was due to appear at the Cheltenham Festival later this month to discuss the novel. He is survived by his wife, Mary, and their sons, William and James.