JEFFREY ARCHER

'Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare' (born 15 April 1940) is a British best-selling author and former politician. He was a member of Parliament and Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party, and became a life peer in 1992. His political career, having suffered from several earlier controversies, finally ended after a conviction for perjury and his subsequent imprisonment. He is married to Mary Archer, a scientist specialising in solar power.

Contents

Early life

Oxford

Early career

Member of Parliament

Politics and writing

''Daily Star'' libel case

Peerage

Share dealings

Perjury and downfall

Archer in fiction

Television Career

Bibliography

References

Further reading

External links

Early life

Jeffrey Howard Archer was born in the City of London Maternity Hospital. When he was two weeks old he and his family moved to the seaside town of Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, where he spent most of his young life. In 1951 he won a scholarship to Wellington School, in Somerset. At this time his mother, Lola, contributed a column "Over the teacups" to the local press in Weston-super-Mare and wrote about the adventures of 'Tuppence'; this caused Archer to be the victim of bullying while at Wellington School.^[1]
Archer left school after passing three O-levels, in English Literature, Art, and History. He worked in a number of jobs, including training with the army and for the police. He lasted only a few months in either position, but he fared reasonably well as a Physical Education teacher at Dover College. As a teacher he was popular with his pupils and was reported, by some, to have had good motivational skills.

Oxford

He gained a place at Brasenose College, Oxford to study for a one-year diploma in education, though he eventually stayed there for three years, gaining an academic qualification in teaching awarded by Oxford University. There have been claims that Archer provided false evidence of his academic qualifications, for instance the apparent citing of an American institution which was actually a body building club, in gaining admission to Oxford University.^[2][3]
While at Oxford he was moderately successful in athletics, competing in sprinting and hurdling but an otherwise academic failure. He also made a name for himself in raising money for the then little-known charity Oxfam, famously managing to obtain the support of The Beatles in a charity fundraising drive. The band accepted his invitation to visit the Senior Common Room of Brasenose College, where they were photographed with Archer and dons of the college, although they didn't play there. It was during this period that he met his future wife, Mary. They married in July 1966.

Early career

After leaving Oxford, he continued as a charity fundraiser, working for the National Birthday Trust, a medical charity. He also began a career in politics, serving as a councillor on the Greater London Council from 1967 onwards.
One other charity Archer worked for, the United Nations Association alleged discrepancies in his claims for expenses, but details only appeared in the press in scrambled form. Archer sued Tory MP Humphrey Berkeley, linked to the UNA, as the source of the allegations. This case was eventually settled out of court after three years. Berkeley had also unsuccessfully attempted to persuade Conservative Central Office of Archer's unsuitability for becoming an MP, but the selection meeting at Louth disregarded any doubts. ^[4]

Member of Parliament

At the age of 29, he was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Lincolnshire constituency of Louth, holding the seat for the Conservative Party in a by-election on 4 December 1969. Archer beat Ian Gow to the selection after winning over a substantial proportion of younger members at the selection meeting. Archer's campaign colour was a dayglo orange/pink with a blue arrow; the political parties in Lincolnshire had not abandoned local colours which were different from the party national colours.
The Louth constituency consisted of three key areas: Louth, Cleethorpes, and Immingham. During his time as a Member of Parliament, Archer was a regular at the Immingham Conservative Club in what was traditionally the most working class part of the constituency. Membership and activity within the local Conservative Party increased dramatically with Archer as MP, due to his energy and campaigning skills. His flamboyant personality and professionalism (he always drank orange juice) won him many friends in the town and the local party.
In Parliament, Archer was on the left of the Conservative Party, rebelling against some of his party's policies. He urged free TV licences for the elderly and was against museum charges. Archer voted against restoring Capital punishment saying it was barbaric and obscene. In 1971 he employed David Mellor, then needing money for his bar finals, to deal with his correspondence. He tipped Mellor to reach the cabinet in the future. In an interview Archer once said that "I hope we don't return to extremes. I'm what you might call centre-right but I've always disliked the right wing as much as I've disliked the left wing."^[5]
In 1974, Archer was a casualty of a fraudulent investment scheme involving Aquablast, a Canadian company. The debacle resulted in the loss of Archer's first fortune^[6] and faced with likely bankruptcy, he stood down as an MP at the October 1974 general election.
Archer was succeeded as Conservative MP for Louth by Michael Brotherton from 1974 to 1983 when the constituency was the subject of boundary changes. The towns of Cleethorpes and Immingham were represented by another colourful MP, Michael Brown, from 1979 to 1997 as part of the Brigg & Cleethorpes constituency.
Archer remained as Honorary President of the Immingham Conservative Party until he withdrew from the 2000 election for Mayor of London in 1999. Archer is to this day considered to be a local celebrity by the people of Immingham who were around when he was their Member of Parliament (although Archer has no family or business connections with the area). His increasingly rare visits to northern Lincolnshire continue to attract considerable local public interest.

Politics and writing

His first book, ''Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less'' was a success, and he ultimately avoided bankruptcy, never being legally declared bankrupt. While he was a witness in the Aquablast case in Toronto, he was accused of taking three suits from a department store.^[7] No charges were brought, but Archer has subsequently admitted the validity of the accusation.
''Kane and Abel'' proved to be his best-selling work, reaching number one on the ''New York Times'' bestsellers list. It was made into a television mini-series. His wife Mary is often rumoured to have a significant role in the writing of his novels. His books are also rumoured to require extensive editing by others to make them readable.^[8][9]
Archer purchased the Old Vicarage, Grantchester, a house associated with the poet Rupert Brooke. He also began to hold shepherd's pie and Krug parties for prominent people at his London apartment, which overlooked the Houses of Parliament.^[10]
Archer's political career revived once he became well known for his novels and as a popular speaker among the Conservative grassroots. He was made Deputy Chairman of the Conservative party by Margaret Thatcher in 1985. Norman Tebbit, then party chairman, had misgivings over the wisdom of the appointment. In the summer of 1986 Archer suggested that John Major would be a future Prime Minister. His judgement was vindicated just over four years later.
Archer had to resign because of another scandal in October 1986 when the Sunday newspaper ''The News of the World'' led on the story "Tory boss Archer pays vice-girl". The article claimed that Archer had paid Monica Coghlan, a prostitute £2000 through an intermediary at Waterloo Station to go abroad. Unlike the ''Daily Star'', the newspaper did not allege that Archer had actually slept with Coghlan.^[10] Archer sued the ''Daily Star''.

''Daily Star'' libel case

In July 1987, the libel case over the allegation that Archer had had sex with Coghlan came to court. The payment to Coghlan was explained as the action of a philanthropist rather than that of a guilty man. He won the case and was awarded £500,000 damages. Archer claimed he would donate the money to charity, although it has not been verified that he did so. This case would be the reason for Archer's final exit from front-line politics some years later.
There was widespread astonishment from the description the judge (Mr Justice Caulfield) gave of Mrs. Archer in his jury instructions, "Remember Mary Archer in the witness-box. Your vision of her probably will never disappear. Has she elegance? Has she fragrance? Would she have, without the strain of this trial, radiance? How would she appeal? Has she had a happy married life? Has she been able to enjoy, rather than endure, her husband Jeffrey?" The judge then went on to say of Jeffrey Archer, "Is he in need of cold, unloving, rubber-insulated sex in a seedy hotel round about quarter to one on a Tuesday morning after an evening at the Caprice?" By this time, according to the journalist Adam Raphael, Jeffrey and Mary Archer were in fact, living largely separate lives.
The editor of the ''Daily Star'', Lloyd Turner, was sacked six weeks after the trial by the paper's owner Lord Stevens of Ludgate.^[12] He died of a heart attack in September 1996. Coghlan was killed by a stolen car on 27 April 2001. The car which crashed into Coghlan was driven by a drunken drug addict after committing an armed robbery. ^[13]

Peerage

In 1992, Archer was created a life peer as 'Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare' in the County of Somerset by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister John Major.
Though against the death penalty, in a speech at the 1993 Conservative party conference, Archer urged the then Home Secretary Michael Howard, to "Stand and deliver" saying "Michael, I am sick and tired of being told by old people that they are frightened to open the door, they're frightened to go out at night, frightened to use the parks and byways where their parents and grandparents walked with freedom ... We say to you: stand and deliver!".
In the speech, Archer attacked violent films. He urged tougher prison conditions to prevent criminals from re-offending and slammed the role of do-gooders. He finished off the speech by criticizing the opposition parties Law and Order policies.^[14]

Share dealings

In January 1994, Mary Archer, a director of Anglia Television, attended a directors' meeting at which an impending takeover of Anglia Television by MAI, who owned Meridian Broadcasting, was discussed.^[15] The following day, Jeffrey Archer bought 50,000 shares in Anglia Television, acting on behalf of a friend, Brooks Saib.^[16] Shortly after this, it was announced publicly that Anglia Television would be taken over by MAI. As a result the shares jumped in value, whereupon Archer sold them on behalf of his friend for a profit of £77,219. The arrangements he had made with the stockbrokers, which he had never used before, meant that he did not have to pay at the time of buying the shares.
An inquiry was launched by the Stock Exchange into possible insider trading. The Department of Trade and Industry, headed by Michael Heseltine, later announced that Archer would not be prosecuted.

Perjury and downfall

Archer had been selected by the Conservative Party as their candidate for the London mayoral election of 2000. He was forced to withdraw from the race when it was revealed that he was facing a charge of perjury.
In November 1999 Ted Francis, a friend (who claimed Archer owed him money) and Archer's former personal assistant Angela Peppiatt (whom Archer had been semi-maintaining) claimed that he had fabricated an in the 1987 trial. They were apparently concerned that Archer was standing as Mayor of London and doubted that he was suitable for the post. The personal secretary had apparently kept a secret diary of Archer's movements. This formed the basis of the case against Archer.
The ''News of the World'' printed the allegations on 21 November, 1999 and Archer withdrew his candidacy the following day. Conservative leader William Hague said "This is the end of Politics for Jeffrey Archer. I will not tolerate such behaviour in my party".^[17] On 8 October he had described Archer as a candidate of "Probity and integrity. I'm going to back him all the way" at the Conservative party conference. Hague was never keen on Archer's running for the job in the first place but as Archer had won in the ballot of London Conservative members he had to back him.
On 4 February, 2000 Archer was expelled from the Conservative Party for five years. On 26 September, 2000 he was charged with perjury and perverting the course of justice (i.e., obstruction of justice) during the 1987 libel trial.
A few months before the beginning of the perjury trial, Archer began performing in the star role in a courtroom play (which he also wrote) called ''The Accused''. The play was staged at London's Theatre Royal Haymarket and concerns the court trial of an alleged murderer from beginning to end. The play used the innovation of assigning the role of jury in the trial to the audience, with theatre-goers voting on whether Archer's character was innocent or guilty at the end of each night's performance. Archer would attend his real trial during the day and be judged in his fictional trial at the theatre in the evening.
The real life trial began on 30 May, 2001. On 19 July, 2001 Lord Archer was found guilty of perjury and perverting the course of justice at the 1987 trial. He was sentenced to a total of four years' imprisonment by Mr. Justice Potts. The most ironic aspect of his trial was that he had fabricated the alibi for the wrong date. Archer never spoke during the trial. Ted Francis was found not guilty of perverting the course of justice.
Archer's mother died on 11 July, 2001 aged 87, and he was released for the day on 21 July to attend the funeral.
Archer originally was sent to Belmarsh Prison, but was moved to the category "C" Wayland Prison in Norfolk on 9 August, 2001, and to HMP North Sea Camp, an open prison in October 2001. From there he was let out to work at the Theatre Royal in Lincoln, England, and was allowed occasional home visits. Reports in the media, which showed a continuing interest in him, claimed that he had been abusing this privilege by attending lunches with friends, and in September 2002 he was transferred to Lincoln Prison for a month.
In October 2002 Archer repaid the ''Daily Star'' the £500,000 damages he had received in 1987, as well as legal costs of £1 million. That month, he was suspended from Marylebone Cricket Club for seven years for his behaviour.
On 21 July, 2003 he was released on licence, after serving half of his sentence, from HMP Hollesley Bay, Suffolk.
Many of Lord Archer's friends remained loyal to him. He and Lady Archer were invited guests to the Memorial Service for Norris McWhirter at Saint Martin-in-the-Fields on Thursday, 7 October, 2004 where they were observed sitting in the same pew as former head of the Conservative Monday Club, Gregory Lauder-Frost, and directly in front of Lady Thatcher, who made a point of embracing Lady Archer.
On 26 February, 2006 on Andrew Marr's ''Sunday AM'' programme, Archer said he had no interest in returning to politics: he would pursue his writing career instead.^[18]

Archer in fiction

Jeffrey Archer was satirically portrayed as a much-misunderstood secret agent, saviour of Britain and mankind and "overall thoroughly good chap" by actor Damian Lewis in the BBC drama ''Jeffrey Archer: The Truth'' (2006)^[19], which received strong reviews. Script writer Guy Jenkin explained that "''my Jeffrey Archer is the man who has frequently saved Britain over the last 30 years. He's beloved of all women he comes across, all men, all dogs - he's a superhero.''"

Television Career

Archer was a judge on the ITV1 show .

Bibliography

Year	Title	Notes
1976	''Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less''
1977	''Shall We Tell the President?''
1979	''Kane and Abel''
1980	''Willy visits the Square World '' (with illustrations by Derek Matthews)	Jeffrey Archer's first Children's book
1980	''By Royal Appointment '' (with illustrations by Peter Longden)	Jeffrey Archer's second Children's book
1980	''A Quiver Full of Arrows''	Short story collection
1981	''Willy and the Killer Kipper '' (with illustrations by Derek Matthews)	Jeffrey Archer's third Children's book
1982	''The Prodigal Daughter''
1984	''First Among Equals''
1986	''A Matter of Honour''
1987	''Beyond Reasonable Doubt''	Play
1987	''Shall We Tell the President?''	Second version
1989	''A Twist in the Tale''	Short story collection
1989	''Exclusive''	Play
1991	''As the Crow Flies''
1993	''Honour Among Thieves''
1994	''Twelve Red Herrings''	Short story collection
1996	''The Fourth Estate''
1998	''The Eleventh Commandment''
2000	''To Cut A Long Story Short''	Short story collection
2000	''The Accused''	Courtroom play
2002	''Sons of Fortune''
2002	''A Prison Diary''
2003	''A Prison Diary Volume 2''
2004	''A Prison Diary Volume 3''
2004	''In the Lap of the Gods''
2006	''False Impression''
2006	''Cat O'Nine Tales'' (with illustrations by Ronald Searle)	Short story collection
2007	''The Gospel According to Judas'' (with Francis J. Moloney)

References

1. Caroline Davies "He lied his way to the top", ''Daily Telegraph'', 20 July 2001 [website p1]. Retrieved on 20 April 2007.
2. Caroline Davies "He lied his way to the top", ''Daily Telegraph'', 20 July 2001 [website p3]. Retrieved on 20 April 2007.
3. "Author of his own Demise", ninemsn, 22 July, 2001. Retrieved on 20 April2007.
4. Caroline Davies "He lied his way to the top", ''Daily Telegraph'', 20 July 2001 [website p5]. Retrieved on 20 April 2007.
5. Lord Archer answers your questions
6. Caroline Davies "He lied his way to the top", ''Daily Telegraph'', 20 July 2001 [website p6]. Retrieved on 20 April 2007.
7. Caroline Davies "He lied his way to the top", ''Daily Telegraph''. 20 July 2001 [website p7]. Retrieved on 20 April 2007.
8. Paul Kelso "Mendacious, ambitious, generous and naive", ''The Guardian'', 20 July 2001. Retrieved on 9 May 2007.
9. Chris Blackhurst [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20010720/ai_n14402294/pg_3 "The Fall of Jeffrey Archer: The Man and the Myths: His was a life...", ''The Independent''. 20 July 2007 [page 2]. Retrieved on 9 May 2007.
10. Caroline Davies "He lied his way to the top", ''Daily Telegraph''. 20 July 2001 [website p8]. Retrieved on 20 April 2007.
11. Caroline Davies "He lied his way to the top", ''Daily Telegraph''. 20 July 2001 [website p8]. Retrieved on 20 April 2007.
12. Star demands £2.2m from Archer
13. Coghlan killer gets life
14. The Times newspaper - Thursday 7th October 1993
15. Archer's share deal under scrutiny again
16. Archer in fury as DTI questions TV shares deal again
17. Disgraced Archer jettisoned by Tories
18. Archer 'may vote in Lords again'
19. Jeffrey Archer: The Truth - BBC Drama

Further reading

★ Jeffrey Archer: Stranger than Fiction, , Michael, Crick, , , ISBN 0-241-13360-2

External links

★ Interview about becoming Mayor of London at BBC News

★ Jeffrey Archer's official Web site

★ News In Depth: The Archer trial at BBC News

★ "The Times" - "Activists demand tough line on crime - Conservative Party conference" - October 7 1993.

★ Coverage of the Archer trial at ''The Guardian''

★ Review of Jeffrey Archer's 2000 courtroom play, ''The Accused'' at Curtain Up

★ Anglia shares at BBC News

★ Archer in DTI shares inquiry at ''The Guardian''

★ The webpage for the book 'The Wonga Coup'

★ Real Audio interview with Jeffrey Archer by Don Swaim at Wired For Books

★ Jeffrey Archer: Special Report at The Guardian