Eight key bombshells and bizarre claims in Boris Johnson's tell-all memoir Unleashed

Shameless erstwhile Prime Minister Boris Johnson contiguous launches his self-serving memoir successful a hopeless bid to rehabilitate his image.

The scandal-hit erstwhile Tory leader, who discontinue arsenic an MP earlier helium could beryllium handed a hefty punishment for misleading Parliament, hasn't ruled retired a instrumentality to frontline politics. New publication Unleashed sees him whine astir the attraction helium received erstwhile helium was axed by his ain MPs.

Mr Johnson, who unwisely pitched successful connected the freebies enactment this week successful spite of his ain record, makes a drawstring of bizarre claims. He besides rowed backmost connected his Partygate apology - a determination that volition undoubtedly choler millions who stuck to the rules during the Covid crisis.

He goes connected to present childish jibes astatine Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer and Theresa May and assertion the precocious Queen was suffering from bony crab earlier her death. Mr Johnson besides claimed helium sprung into enactment to present a "manly pep talk" to Prince Harry to effort halt him quitting royal duties - but to nary avail.

Here we look astatine immoderate of the cardinal things we learned from Mr Johnson's book.

Taking backmost apology implicit Partygate

The erstwhile PM who was recovered to person misled Parliament uses his memoir to recract his apology over the Partygate ungraded that destablised his premiership.

He claims it was a "mistake" successful offering a "pathetic" and "grovelling" statements implicit parties successful Downing Street and says it "made it look arsenic though we were acold much culpable than we were”.

Shortly aft quitting arsenic an MP successful 2023, a large probe by the Commons Privileges Committee said Mr Johnson had misled Parliament connected aggregate occasions implicit the ungraded exposed by The Mirror. It said helium was "deliberately disingenuous" successful trying to reframe his statements - and attempting to travel up with excuses to warrant the parties.

Raiding Netherlands warehouse for Covid vaccines

In possibly 1 of the astir bizarre moments successful his caller book, the erstwhile PM claims helium briefly considered launching a raid connected a Netherlands warehouse to retrieve Covid vaccine supplies.

Mr Johnson convened a gathering of elder subject officials successful March 2021 to sermon the thought which helium freely admits successful Unleashed were "nuts". An extract of the publication claims the then-PM was told the program was "certainly feasible", utilizing rigid inflatable boats to navigate Dutch canals. "They would past rendezvous astatine the -target; enter; unafraid the -hostage goods, exfiltrate utilizing an articulated lorry, and marque their mode to the Channel ports," Mr Johnson wrote.

But 1 elder authoritative told him it would mean the UK would "have to explicate wherefore we are efficaciously invading a long-standing Nato ally".

Strange ramble astir Theresa May's nostrils

There was nary emotion mislaid betwixt Mr Johnson and his predecessor, who often made beingness pugnacious for him successful No10 by pointing retired his flaws.

In the publication helium outlines an unusual fixation helium developed. He wrote astir Mrs May's “schoolmarmy self-righteousness” and said she would “roll her eyes” erstwhile helium spoke.

But helium went connected to item her “long and pointy black” nostrils. The petty erstwhile PM wrote: “Like a Gerald Scarfe cartoon, and the mode she would twist her nose, arsenic if to amusement them off.”

Queen was 'suffering from bony cancer'

The ex-PM claims successful his publication that Queen Elizabeth, whose authoritative decease certificate listed "old age" arsenic the origin of death, was suffering from bony crab successful her last year.

During their last ever gathering astatine Balmoral, Mr Johnson said the precocious Queen appeared airy with bruising connected her hands - but insisted she was "unimpaired by her illness". Appearing to interruption convention, Mr Johnson besides uses the publication to uncover the proposal the monarch gave to him connected the time helium formally resigned arsenic PM.

He says: "She was amazed by the wide deficiency of bitterness, fixed what had happened astatine Westminster, but she approved. 'There's nary constituent successful bitterness,' she said, and amen to that. If everyone successful authorities - and beingness - could spot that arsenic intelligibly arsenic she did, the world would beryllium a much, overmuch happier place."

'Manly pep talk' with Prince Harry

Johnson besides dives into a "hopeless" speech helium had with Prince Harry successful a last-ditch effort to transportation the royal not to fly to the United States.

Senior officials from Whitehall and the Royal household reportedly asked Mr Johnson to springiness the Duke of Sussex a "manly pep talk" successful January 2020 arsenic the Duke considered leaving the UK - a spot wherever helium has voiced concerns astir invasions of his privateness and attacks helium and his wife, Meghan.

The ex-PM said it was "a ridiculous concern ... erstwhile they made maine effort to transportation Harry to stay. Kind of manly pep talk. Totally hopeless", according to the Daily Mail's serialisation of Mr Johnson's memoir.

Bugging instrumentality successful bath aft Netanyahu visit

Strange 1 this. Mr Johnson alleged that a bugging instrumentality was recovered successful his bath aft a sojourn by Benjamin Netanyahu. He claimed his information squad had made the find erstwhile it did a expanse of the toilets aft the Israeli PM utilized them during a gathering successful 2017.

He claimed Mr Netanyahu had excused himself during talks astatine his bureau erstwhile helium was Foreign Secretary to usage the "secret annex… a spot similar the gents successful a posh London club". Mr Johnson wrote: “Thither Bibi repaired for a while, and it whitethorn oregon whitethorn not beryllium a coincidence but I americium told that later, erstwhile they were doing a regular expanse for bugs, they recovered a listening instrumentality successful the thunderbox."

Starmer 'like a bullock with a thermometer successful its rectum'

In different unprofessional jibe astatine Keir Starmer, who had the past laugh, Mr Johnson said his “irritable face” was “like a bullock having a thermometer unexpectedly shoved successful its rectum”.

He made the remark erstwhile describing a statement during the Covid situation successful 2020, erstwhile they clashed astatine PMQs implicit reopening schools. Mr Johnson claimed his hostile was incapable to accidental schools were harmless arsenic it would “go against his masters successful the teaching unions”.

Sly excavation astatine French President Macron

Mr Johnson launched an astonishing tirade against French President Emmanuel Macron, accusing him of "weaponising" the tiny boats situation successful revenge for Brexit.

The shamed erstwhile Prime Minister lashed retired astatine Mr Macron, who helium claimed "would not hesitate to enactment his Cuban-heeled bootee into Brexit Britain". In an extract from his memoir, Mr Johnson whined that helium thought Britain should beryllium "punished" implicit Brexit.

In the publication helium wrote that Mr Macron was "personally charming", but added, "he truly meant it erstwhile helium said that Brexit Britain indispensable beryllium punished". He went connected to impeach the French President of being a "positive nuisance".

He besides claimed that the French President had changeable down the proposition of a roadworthy nexus betwixt Britain and France. Mr Johnson went connected to picture his petty joyousness astatine making Mr Macron "eat the carpet" aft reaching an statement with Joe Biden to equip Australia with caller submarines. This scuppered a French statement to proviso vessels to Australia, helium wrote.