One of the key claims in Nadine Dorries’ book about the alleged “plot” to bring down Boris Johnson has been taken to task by Nick Robinson during a bizarre BBC interview.
The Johnson ally has been doing the media rounds in support of her newly-published tome, called The Plot, which claims shadowy political figures moved to “assassinate” the former prime minister and remove him from power.
But during an interview on Radio 4′s The Today programme, presenter Robinson refused to indulge the conspiracy theories. One in particular stood out.
In the book, according to The Express, Dorries quotes a source called “Moneypenny”, who claims the controversy over Johnson redecorating Downing Street with “gold wallpaper” is a fiction.
She quotes “Moneypenny” saying: “What Boris and (wife) Carrie did was have the dining room wall painted red to celebrate the Red Wall victories in the election.”
This detail is important as it comes up at the end of the interview with Robinson, as he tells her: “See what lots of people are thinking: you’re just a bad loser in a sulk. I mean, you left the House of Commons because he didn’t get a peerage. Your mate lost his job as prime minister. You’re in a sulk and you’ve written a book because you hope it’ll sell well. What do you say to them?”
Dorries responded by going with the “no gold wallpaper” defence, adding: “It doesn’t exist. It was never quoted for.” She went on: “Does such a thing even exist? Boris Johnson never attended a single party. That’s one of the reasons why I began to write this book.”
It was the last straw for Robinson, who ended the interview there – with a correction along the way: “Okay, we’ve got to leave it there because we’re running out of time. But I’m grateful for you. Funnily enough, I’ve had that wallpaper pointed out to me by someone inside 11 Downing Street. But Nadine Dorries, it’s called The Plot. You can buy it if you want.”
You can listen to the exchange below.