Skip to main content
Banner image for Lord Lexden OBE

Lord Lexden OBE

Official Historian of the Conservative Party

Main navigation

  • Home
  • About Lord Lexden
  • Articles & Reviews
  • Letters
  • News
  • Parliament
  • Publications
  • Contact

Carrie's novel inspiration?

  • Tweet
Sunday, 22 November, 2020
trollope

In a letter published in The Sunday Times on November 22, Alistair Lexden wondered if a famous novel had contributed to the extraordinary events at 10 Downing Street nine days earlier, which ended with the sudden resignation of Dominic Cummings after bitter arguments involving Boris Johnson’s partner, Carrie Symonds.

Last weekend Carrie Symonds emerged triumphant from a power struggle at No 10. In Barchester Towers, Mr Slope, a radical with good press connections, is said to have the weak-willed Bishop Proudie “in his pocket”. Mrs Proudie rounds on her husband, shouting that her rival “has gone mad with arrogance”, and he tells Slope he “should leave the palace at the earliest possible moment”. The ineffectual bishop “never again aspired to disobey“ her. Could Symonds be a fan of Anthony Trollope?

Lord Lexden
House of Lords

  • Articles

You may also be interested in

grey

When the lamps went out in 1914

Thursday, 14 January, 2021

They analogy between the extinguishing of lamps and the end of peace in 1914 is well-known. It was made by Sir Edward Grey, the Foreign Secretary at the time. He is the subject of a fine new biography. Alistair Lexden’s review of the book is attached.

Show only

  • Articles
  • Recent News
  • Speeches

Lord Lexden OBE

Footer

  • About RSS
  • Accessibility
  • Cookies
  • Privacy
  • About Lord Lexden
  • Articles and Reviews
  • Letters
  • Parliament
  • Publications
Promoted by Alan Mabbutt on behalf of Lord Lexden, both at 4 Matthew Parker Street, London, SW1H 9HQ
Copyright 2021 Lord Lexden OBE . All rights reserved.
Powered by Bluetree