In the Thick of It: The Private Diaries of a Minister

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Sensational One of the most explosive political diaries ever to be published As candid, caustic and colourful as the sensational Alan Clark Diaries of the 1990s DAILY MAIL

The Sunday Times bestseller
As Minister of State at the Foreign Office, Alan Duncan was once described as Boris Johnsons pooper-scooper. For two years, he deputised for the then Foreign Secretary, now Prime Minister. Few are more attuned to Boriss strengths and weaknesses as a minister and his suitability for high office than the man who helped clear up his mistakes.

Riotously candid, these diaries cover the most turbulent period in recent British political history from the eve of the referendum in 2016 to the UKs eventual exit from the EU. As two prime ministers fall, two general elections unfold and a no-confidence vote is survived, Duncan records a treasure-trove of insider gossip, giving biting and often hilarious accounts of petty rivalries, poor decision-making, big egos, and big crises.

Nothing escapes Alans acerbic gaze. Across these unfiltered daily entries, he builds a revealing and often profound picture of UK politics and personalities. A rich seam of high politics and low intrigue, this is an account from deep inside the engine room of power.

Reviews

Sensational Johnsons Cabinet [has been] rocked It is unprecedented for a politician to lift the lid on feuding in the corridors of power so soon after leaving office One of the most explosive political diaries ever to be published Candid, caustic and colourful In the style of great political diaries like those by Clark or Chips Channon that capture the spirit of the age. The political memoir of the year
Daily Mail

More than merely bracingly readable Duncan chronicles the despair, bafflement, plotting and rising acrimony
The Times

In the Thick of It initially grabbed the headlines thanks to thesheer gleeful bitchinessof the insults littered throughout. But theres a more serious message at the heart of this book Duncan frankly has a point; that after four years of purging remain supporters from the Tory ranks, whats left is hardly a government of titans
Gaby Hinscliff, Guardian

Thoughtful and nuanced Alans insights into the role of a foreign office minister provide many of the highlights of the book. I am enjoying it immensely
Iain Dale

A compelling compendium of high gossip and low intrigue, full of withering put-downs and waspish observations
Rachel Sylvester, The Times

The diaries are thoughtful, but can be brutal. The book contains deep thought about Britains long-term foreign policy objectives, enlivened by highly amusing recollections
Salma Shah, Spectator

Always witty, usually waspish and unremittingly withering about those for whom he does not care Closely observed, perceptive, amusing They are fascinating; they are riveting
Christopher Pincher, The Critic

One of the most sensational, no-holds-barred political diaries of the decade
Tatler

Ive thoroughly enjoyed Alan Duncans incendiary diaries, in which he buries more bodies than a Mafia undertaker
Piers Morgan

'Hugely entertaining'
John Humphrys

Author Bio

SIR ALAN DUNCAN was the UK's Foreign Minister, and the de facto Deputy Foreign Secretary, from 2016 to 2019. He was the Member of Parliament for Rutland and Melton until stepping down in 2019. For the past thirty years, he has been at the centre of British political life. He has been at the heart of every Conservative Party leadership race since John Major succeeded Margaret Thatcher in 1990, spearheading William Hague's 1997 leadership campaign, and has held senior positions such as Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, and Shadow Minister for Justice. He was the first ever openly gay Conservative MP, coming out in 2002. One of UK politics' most forthright and engaging personalities, Alan is recognised as one of the best-connected and well-informed experts on the Middle East and, as Johnson's deputy in the Foreign Office, sat in the very midst of everything in government that took place between the EU referendum and the UK's eventual exit from the EU in January 2020.