Former Rutland MP Sir Alan Duncan will be publishing his diaries next month, which promoters say will be 'explosive' and 'riotously candid.'

The former MP, who was elected in 1999 and served until December 2019, rose to become Minister of State at the Foreign Office, until resigning when Boris Johnson became Prime Minister nearly two years ago.

Sir Alan was once described as Boris Johnson's 'pooper-scooper' and for two years, he deputised for the then Foreign Secretary, now Prime Minister.

Publisher Harper Collins said: "Not since Alan Clark have an MP's diaries offered such a rich personal account of political life.

"Covering the pressures on a minister and the ructions of a fractured Parliament, In the Thick of It is a unique cocktail of acerbic wit and serious perceptions; it is as insightful as it is entertaining."

The publisher continued: "Duncan's riotously candid diaries span the four years from the eve of the referendum to the UK's eventual exit from the EU, covering the fall of two prime ministers, the course of two elections, and Theresa May's survival of a no-confidence vote.

"He records a treasure-trove of insider gossip, giving biting and often hilarious accounts of petty rivalries, poor decision-making, big egos, and big crises.

"Across these unfiltered daily entries, Duncan builds a revealing and often profound picture of UK politics and personalities from deep inside the engine room of power.

"Spiced with withering putdowns of fellow Conservative MPs and ministerial colleagues, and irreverent anecdotes about ambassadors, foreign dignitaries and the glamorous party set in Mustique, the diaries are a rich seam of high politics and low intrigue."

Sir Alan said: "My mantra is 'always be a happy politician'. A sure protection against fury and frustration is to vent onto the page by writing everything down.

"That's how these diaries arose – both for therapy in the moment, and as a lasting insurance against the brain-fade of age. They offered me a fulfilling medium through which to record the dramas of my daily life.

"To combine being a foreign minister with working closely with Boris Johnson and Theresa May, against a backdrop of a divisive issue and a fractured parliament, proved to be the richest possible stimulus.

"I hope they are as much a source of entertainment as they are an accurate account of this crucial period in our recent political history."

Further details of the book can be found here.