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{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name = The Lord Archer of {{nowrap|Weston-super-Mare}}
| honorific-suffix =
| image = Jeffrey Archer @ Oslo bokfestival 2012 4.jpg
| caption = Archer in 2012
| office = [[Member of the House of Lords]]<br />[[Lords Temporal|Lord Temporal]]
| term_start = 27 July 1992<br />[[Life peer]]age
| term_end = 4 July 2024<br />[[Life peer]]age
| office1 = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />for [[Louth, Lincolnshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Louth (Lincolnshire)]]
| parliament =
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| birth_name = Jeffrey Howard Archer
| birth_date = {{birth-date and age|15 April 1940}}
| birth_place = [[London]], England
| death_date =
| death_place =
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| children = 2
| occupation = Politician, author
| residence = London, England
| profession =
| website = {{URL|https://www.jeffreyarcher.com}}
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}}
 
'''Jeffrey Howard Archer, Baron Archer of Weston-super-Mare''' (born 15 April 1940)<ref>Dictionary of International Biography. 34th Edition. Rains, Sara, ed. Cambridge: Melrose Press, 2008.</ref> is an English fantasistnovelist and former politician.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sala |first=Lana |others=Zinc Television London |date=2022 |title=Scandal: Jeffrey Archer and the call-girl |publisher=[[Channel 5 (British TV channel)|Channel 5]] |location=London |type=Documentary}}</ref>, [[life peer]], convicted criminal, and former politician. Before becoming an author, ArcherHe was a [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (1969–1974MP) for [[Louth, Lincolnshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Louth (Lincolnshire)]] from 1969 to 1974, but did not seek re-election after a financial scandal that left him almost bankrupt.<ref name=Odone>{{cite news | last1=Odone | first1=Christine | title=Jeffrey Archer: Mary would run the NHS beautifully | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/authorinterviews/9946402/Jeffrey-Archer-Mary-would-run-the-NHS-beautifully.html | access-date=7 November 2015 | work=The Telegraph | date=21 March 2013 | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924164024/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/authorinterviews/9946402/Jeffrey-Archer-Mary-would-run-the-NHS-beautifully.html | archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref>
 
Archer revived his fortunes as a novelist. His 1979 novel [[Kane and Abel (novel)|''Kane and Abel'']] (1979) remains one of the [[List of best-selling books|best-selling books in the world]], with an estimated 34 million copies sold worldwide.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rufford |first=Nick |title=Jeffrey Archer on his prison years and his latest crime caper |newspaper=[[The Times]] |language=en |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/jeffrey-archer-latest-crime-novel-interview-vhgdhqrpn |access-date=2022-05-16 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Flood |first1=Alison |title=Jeffrey Archer rewrites Kane and Abel 'for a new generation' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/jun/15/jeffrey-archer-rewrites-kane-abel |access-date=26 June 2022 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=15 June 2009}}</ref> Overall his books have sold more than 320 million copies worldwide.<ref name="Horowitz">{{cite news|last1=Horowitz|first1=Anthony|title=Jeffrey Archer interview: the saga continues|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/8497940/Jeffrey-Archer-interview-the-saga-continues.html|access-date=20 January 2016|work=The Telegraph|date=7 May 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160221013018/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/8497940/Jeffrey-Archer-interview-the-saga-continues.html|archive-date=21 February 2016}}</ref>
 
Archer becamewas the deputy chairman of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] (1985–86),from before1985 resigningto 1986; he resigned after a newspaper accused him of paying money to a prostitute. In 1987, he won a courtcivil case and was awarded large damages because of this claim.<ref name=Davies>{{cite news|last1=Davies|first1=Caroline|title=He lied his way to the top|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1334660/He-lied-his-way-to-the-top.html|access-date=7 November 2015|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=20 July 2001|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101110023258/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1334660/He-lied-his-way-to-the-top.html|archive-date=10 November 2010}}</ref> He was made a [[life peer]] in 1992 and subsequently became the first Conservative candidate to be theselected firstas electeda candidate for [[Mayormayor of London]]. He resignedended his candidacy in 1999 after it emerged that he had lied in histhe 1987case libelin case1987. HeIn 2001 he was imprisonedsentenced (2001–2003)to four years of imprisonment for [[perjury]] and [[perverting the course of justice]], ending his active political career. He was released early in 2003.<ref name="Horowitz"/>
 
==Early life and education==
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In the US, William Archer fathered a child, Rosemary Turner (21 June 1917 – 11 October 1986), Jeffrey's half-sister. In 1940 Rosemary married lawyer [[Brien McMahon]] who went on to become the Democratic senator for [[Connecticut]] (1945–1952) and a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1952. After Brien McMahon's death that year, Rosemary married, in 1953, the Belgian ambassador to Washington, Baron Silvercruys. The First Lady, Mamie Eisenhower, was the guest-of-honour at their wedding.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jul/19/archer.politics2 |title=The rise and fall of Jeffrey Archer |website=[[TheGuardian.com]] |date=19 July 2001 |access-date=3 November 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208215635/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jul/19/archer.politics2 |archive-date=8 December 2015}}</ref><ref>Scandal! Private Stories of Public Shame, Colin Wilson and Damon Wilson, 2003, pg 30</ref><ref>They F*** You Up, Oliver James, 2010, pg 254</ref>
 
As a boy Archer dreamtdreamed of being captain of the [[Bristol Rovers F.C.|Bristol Rovers]] Football Club. He is still a fan of the club.<ref>[http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Lord-Archer-s-tales-charm-audience/story-13395504-detail/story.html "Lord Archer's tales charm audience"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130505153002/http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/Lord-Archer-s-tales-charm-audience/story-13395504-detail/story.html |date=5 May 2013 }}, ''Bristol Post'', 24 September 2011</ref>
 
===Wellington School===
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===Oxford===
In 1963 Archer was offered a place at the [[Oxford University Department for Continuing Education]] to study for a [[Diploma of Education]]. The course was based in the department, and Archer became a member of [[Brasenose College, Oxford|Brasenose College]]. There have been claims that Archer provided false evidence of his academic qualifications to Brasenose, the apparent citing of an American institution which was actually a bodybuilding club, for instance, in gaining admission to the course.<ref name=Davies/><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://sgp1.paddington.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/feature_stories/article_890.asp?s=1 |title=Author of his own Demise |newspaper=[[ninemsn]] |author=Jim Waley |date=22 July 2001 |access-date=20 April 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706110724/http://sgp1.paddington.ninemsn.com.au/sunday/feature_stories/article_890.asp?s=1 |archive-date= 6 July 2011 }}</ref> It has also been alleged Archer provided false statements about three non-existent [[A-Level]] passes and a U.S. [[Academic degree|university degree]].<ref name=Jeffrey/> Although the diploma course only lasted a year, Archer spent a total of three years at Oxford.<ref name=Davies/> At Oxford, Archer was successful in athletics, competing in sprinting and hurdling, and became president of the Oxford University Athletic Club in 1965/6. His opposite number at [[Cambridge University]], [[Wendell Mottley]] became a lifelong friend.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/76930 | title=Olympedia – Wendell Mottley | access-date=17 April 2024 | archive-date=29 April 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240429114023/https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/76930 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Davies/> Television coverage survives of him making [[false start]]s in a 1964 sprint race, but he was not disqualified. He gained a [[Blue (university sport)|blue]] in athletics and went on to run for England, and once competed for Great Britain.<ref name=Jeffrey/> His time of 10.6 seconds for 100 metres is the joint second fastest time by an Oxford University student.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ouac.org/all-time-list#tab-1882246 | title=All Time List | access-date=25 March 2024 | archive-date=25 March 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240325175702/https://www.ouac.org/all-time-list#tab-1882246 | url-status=live }}</ref>
 
Archer raised money for the charity [[Oxfam]], obtaining the support of [[The Beatles]] in a fundraising drive. The band accepted his invitation to visit the Principal's lodge at Brasenose College, where they were photographed with Archer and dons of the college,<ref name=Brasenose>{{cite web|title=Beatles at Brasenose|url=https://www.bnc.ox.ac.uk/about-brasenose/news/1222-beatles-at-brasenose|website=www.bnc.ox.ac.uk|publisher=Brasenose College|access-date=22 December 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223114123/https://www.bnc.ox.ac.uk/about-brasenose/news/1222-beatles-at-brasenose|archive-date=23 December 2015}}</ref> although they did not play there. The critic [[Sheridan Morley]], then a student at [[Merton College, Oxford|Merton]], was present and recalled the occasion:

{{blockquoteblock quote|At the interval I went to the toilet, and there beside me was [[Ringo Starr]]. He asked if I knew this Jeffrey Archer bloke. I said everyone in Oxford was trying to work out who he was. Ringo said: '"He strikes me as a nice enough fella, but he's the kind of bloke who would bottle your piss and sell it.'"<ref name="Kelso"/>}}
 
==Early career==
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Louth constituency had three key areas: [[Louth, Lincolnshire|Louth]], [[Cleethorpes]], and [[Immingham]]. During his time as an MP, Archer was a regular at the Immingham Conservative Club in the most working-class part of the constituency. In 1970 he took part in the Kennedy Memorial Test, a 50-mile running/walking race from Louth to [[Skegness]] and back.<ref>{{cite web|title=Archive Listings|url=http://www.lincsfilm.co.uk/listings/listing561580.html|publisher=Lincolnshire Film Archive|access-date=4 March 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402112253/http://www.lincsfilm.co.uk/listings/listing561580.html|archive-date=2 April 2015}}</ref>
 
In [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|parliament]], Archer was on the left of the Conservative Party, rebelling against some of his party's policies. He advocated free [[Television licence|TV licence]]s for elderly people and was against museum entrance charges.<ref>[httphttps://hansardapi.millbanksystemsparliament.comuk/historic-hansard/commons/1971/jun/21/museums-and-galleries-admission-charges#S5CV0819P0_19710621_HOC_292 "Museum and Galleries (Admission Charges)"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427233704/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1971/jun/21/museums-and-galleries-admission-charges |date=27 April 2014 }}, ''Hansard'', HC Deb 21 June 1971, vol 819, cc993-1067, col.1031-4</ref> In 1971, he employed [[David Mellor]] to deal with his correspondence. He tipped Mellor to reach the cabinet. In an interview, in February 1999 Archer said, "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."<ref>{{cite news|title=Lord Archer answers your questions|date=1 February 1999|work=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/269876.stm|access-date=14 June 2007|location=London|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222115831/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/269876.stm|archive-date=22 December 2007}}</ref>
 
==Financial crisis==
In 1974, Archer was a casualty of a fraudulent investment scheme involving a Canadian company called Aquablast. The debacle lost him his first fortune and left him almost £500,000 in debt.<ref name=Davies/> FearingWarned imminentby bankruptcy,Daily Mirror reporter Revel Barker -who he stoodmisidentified downas a fellow Oxford student - that as a bankrupt he could not be an MP, he announced that he would not be standing atin the [[October 1974 United Kingdom general election|October 1974 general election]] "Because of financial difficulties".<ref>The Last Pub In Fleet Street, Palatino, 2015, p. 129.</ref>
 
While he was a witness in the Aquablast case in Toronto in 1975, Archer was accused of stealing three suits from a department store.<ref>Paul Foot, [http://www.lrb.co.uk/v17/n17/paul-foot/those-suits "Those suits"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427215233/http://www.lrb.co.uk/v17/n17/paul-foot/those-suits |date=27 April 2014 }}, ''London Review of Books'', 7 September 1995.</ref> Archer denied the accusation for many years, but in the late 1990s he finally acknowledged that he had taken the suits, although he claimed that at the time he had not realised he had left the shop.<ref name=Davies/> No charges were ever brought.
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Archer has said that he spends considerable time writing and re-writing each book. He goes abroad to write the first draft, working in blocks of two hours at a time, then writes anything up to 17 drafts in total.<ref>John Darnton [https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/18/garden/lunch-with-jeffrey-archer-author-s-sweet-revenge-joining-house-lords.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm "At Lunch With: Jeffrey Archer; An Author's Sweet Revenge: Joining the House of Lords"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005101611/http://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/18/garden/lunch-with-jeffrey-archer-author-s-sweet-revenge-joining-house-lords.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm |date=5 October 2017 }}, ''New York Times'', 18 August 1993.</ref> Since 2010, Archer has written the first draft of each new book at his villa in [[Majorca]], called "Writer's Block".<ref name=Wells>{{cite news|last1=Wells|first1=Emma|title=It's Archer's best plot yet|url=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/style/homes_and_gardens/My_Place/article432153.ece|access-date=23 December 2015|work=The Sunday Times|date=31 October 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223140445/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/style/homes_and_gardens/My_Place/article432153.ece|archive-date=23 December 2015}}</ref>
 
In 2011, Archer published the first of seven books in ''The Clifton Chronicles'' series, which follow the life of Harry Clifton from his birth in 1920, through to his funeral in 1993. The first novel in the series, ''Only Time Will Tell'', tells the story of Harry from 1920 through to 1940, and was published in the UK on 12 May 2011.<ref name=Horowitz/> The seventh and final novel in the series, ''This Was a Man'', was published on 3 November 2016.<ref>{{cite web |title=The final novel in the Clifton Chronicles |url=http://www.jeffreyarcher.co.uk/books-and-plays/fiction/this-was-a-man/ |website=www.jeffreyarcher.co.uk |access-date=5 March 2019 |archive-date=6 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306044156/http://www.jeffreyarcher.co.uk/books-and-plays/fiction/this-was-a-man/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
 
''The Short, the Long and the Tall'', an illustrated collection of Archer's short stories, was published in November 2020, with watercolor illustrations by artist Paul Cox.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Short, The Long and The Tall |url=https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/jeffrey-archer/the-short-the-long-and-the-tall/9780230748279 |publisher=Pan Macmillan |access-date=6 October 2020 |archive-date=6 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200906153402/https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/jeffrey-archer/the-short-the-long-and-the-tall/9780230748279 |url-status=live }}</ref>
 
''Over My Dead Body'' was published in October 2021, and is the fourth book in a series of thrillers featuring detective William Warwick.<ref name="Chandler">{{cite web |last1=Chandler |first1=Mark |title=Macmillan lands Jeffrey Archer series in four-book deal |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/macmillan-snaps-jeffrey-archer-series-four-book-deal-965306 |website=www.thebookseller.com |access-date=5 March 2019 |archive-date=6 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043426/https://www.thebookseller.com/news/macmillan-snaps-jeffrey-archer-series-four-book-deal-965306 |url-status=live }}</ref> The book was criticalcritically acclaimed and onebecame of thea [[New York Bestsellers of theTimes]] yearbestseller.
 
In January 2020 it was reported that Archer had sued his former literary agents, [[Curtis Brown (literary agents)|Curtis Brown]], for £500,000 in unpaid royalties.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Simpson |first1=Craig |title=Jeffrey Archer 'suing former literary agents in High Court over claims he is owed £500,000' |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/24/jeffrey-archer-suing-former-literary-agents-high-court-claims/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/01/24/jeffrey-archer-suing-former-literary-agents-high-court-claims/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=25 January 2020 |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=20 January 2020}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
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The perjury trial began on 30 May 2001, a month after [[Monica Coghlan]]'s death in a road traffic collision.<ref name=Stokes>{{cite news|last1=Stokes|first1=Paul|title=Monica Coghlan killed by robbery car|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1317481/Monica-Coghlan-killed-by-robbery-car.html|access-date=22 December 2015|work=The Telegraph|date=28 April 2001|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151224135309/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1317481/Monica-Coghlan-killed-by-robbery-car.html|archive-date=24 December 2015}}</ref> Ted Francis claimed that Archer had asked him to provide a false alibi for the night Archer was alleged to have been with Monica Coghlan.<ref name=Perjury/> Angela Peppiatt, Archer's former personal assistant, also claimed Archer had fabricated an alibi in the 1987 trial. Peppiatt had kept a diary of Archer's movements, which contradicted evidence given during the 1987 trial.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1420933.stm|title=Ted Francis: Archer whistleblower|date=19 July 2001|publisher=BBC|location=London, UK|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100324075852/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1420933.stm|archive-date=24 March 2010}}</ref> Andrina Colquhoun, Archer's former mistress, confirmed that they had been having an affair in the 1980s, thus contradicting the claim that he and Mary Archer had been "happily married" at the time of the trial.<ref name=Clough>{{cite news|last1=Clough|first1=Sue|title=My love affair with Archer cooled when he tidied up his private life|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1309221/My-love-affair-with-Archer-cooled-when-he-tidied-up-his-private-life.html|access-date=22 December 2015|work=The Telegraph|date=20 June 2001|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151224135249/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1309221/My-love-affair-with-Archer-cooled-when-he-tidied-up-his-private-life.html|archive-date=24 December 2015}}</ref>
 
Archer never spoke during the trial, though his wife Mary again gave evidence as she had done during the 1987 trial.<ref name="Stanford">{{cite news|last1=Stanford|first1=Peter|title=Mary Archer: 'Jeffrey asked from jail if I wanted a divorce, but I'm not a quitter'|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/authors/mary-archer-jeffrey-asked-from-jail-if-i-wanted-a-divorce-but-im/|access-date=26 February 2016|work=The Telegraph|date=19 February 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160225214252/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/authors/mary-archer-jeffrey-asked-from-jail-if-i-wanted-a-divorce-but-im/|archive-date=25 February 2016}}</ref> On 19 July 2001, Archer was found guilty of perjury and perverting the course of justice at the 1987 trial. He was sentenced to four years' imprisonment by [[Humphrey Potts|Mr Justice Potts]].<ref name=Clough2>{{cite news|last1=Clough|first1=Sue|title=The end: Archer goes to jail|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1334653/The-end-Archer-goes-to-jail.html|access-date=22 December 2015|work=The Telegraph|date=20 July 2001|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211082943/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1334653/The-end-Archer-goes-to-jail.html|archive-date=11 December 2015}}</ref> Francis was found not guilty. Prominent journalists admitted to having accepted Archer's hospitality after he was convicted.<ref name=Rawnsley2>{{cite news|last1=Rawnsley|first1=Andrew|title=Shepherd's pie and shampagne, anyone?|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jul/22/archer.conservatives|access-date=23 December 2015|work=The Observer|date=22 July 2001|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223150559/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jul/22/archer.conservatives|archive-date=23 December 2015}}</ref><ref name=Hoggart>{{cite news|last1=Hoggart|first1=Simon|title=Drink the Krug (but avoid the shepherd's pie)|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2001/jul/28/houseofcommons.archer|access-date=23 December 2015|work=The Guardian|date=28 July 2001|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223190048/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2001/jul/28/houseofcommons.archer|archive-date=23 December 2015}}</ref> Archer's mother had died shortly before he was sentenced and he was released for the day to attend her funeral.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1424501.stm|title=Archer jailed for perjury|date=19 July 2001|publisher=BBC|location=London|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090522043651/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/1424501.stm|archive-date=22 May 2009}}</ref><ref name=McVeigh>{{cite news|last1=McVeigh|first1=Tracy|title=Disgraced Archer back in charge for a few sad hours of freedom|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jul/22/conservatives.archer|access-date=23 December 2015|work=The Observer|date=22 July 2001|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223235414/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jul/22/conservatives.archer|archive-date=23 December 2015}}</ref>
 
===Prison===
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Media reports claimed he had abused this privilege by attending a lunch with a friend, Education Secretary [[Gillian Shephard]].<ref name=Goodchild>{{cite news|last1=Goodchild|first1=Sophie|title=So that's what he was up to when he wasn't out for lunch|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/so-thats-what-he-was-up-to-when-he-wasnt-out-for-lunch-132178.html|access-date=23 December 2015|work=The Independent|date=5 October 2002|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223235509/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/so-thats-what-he-was-up-to-when-he-wasnt-out-for-lunch-132178.html|archive-date=23 December 2015}}</ref> In September 2002 he was transferred to a Category "B" prison, [[Lincoln (HM Prison)|Lincoln]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2283443.stm "Archer moved from open prison"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040704174717/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2283443.stm |date=4 July 2004 }}, BBC News, 26 September 2002</ref> After three weeks, he was moved to the Category "D" [[HM Prison Hollesley Bay]] in Suffolk.<ref>[http://news.sky.com/story/130743/archers-holiday-bay-prison-move "Archer's 'Holiday Bay' Prison Move"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427204859/http://news.sky.com/story/130743/archers-holiday-bay-prison-move |date=27 April 2014 }}, Sky.com, 17 October 2002.</ref>
 
During his imprisonment, Archer was visited by a number of high-profile friends, including actor [[Donald Sinden]]<ref>{{cite news|last1=Donald|first1=Gideon|title=The Nudgeocon|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2009/03/campbell-spiked-britain-archer|access-date=26 April 2017|work=New Statesman|date=26 March 2009|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427101830/http://www.newstatesman.com/uk-politics/2009/03/campbell-spiked-britain-archer|archive-date=27 April 2017}}</ref> and entertainer [[Barry Humphries]] (who performed as [[Dame Edna Everage]]).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/extras/sunday-review/regulars/how-we-met-barry-humprhies--jeffrey-archer-804282.html|last=Eyre| first=Hermione|title=How We Met: Barry Humphries & Jeffrey Archer|date=6 April 2008|work=[[The Independent]]|location=London|access-date=6 May 2010}}{{dead link|date=August 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
 
In October 2002, Archer repaid the ''Daily Star'' the £500,000 damages he had received in 1987, as well as legal costs and interest of £1.3 million.<ref name=Leonard>{{cite news|last1=Leonard|first1=Tom|title=Archer settles £1.8m libel debt with newspaper|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1408852/Archer-settles-1.8m-libel-debt-with-newspaper.html|access-date=23 December 2015|work=The Telegraph|date=2 October 2002|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151224154048/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1408852/Archer-settles-1.8m-libel-debt-with-newspaper.html|archive-date=24 December 2015}}</ref> That month, he was suspended from [[Marylebone Cricket Club]] for seven years.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/oct/28/cricket.archer|title=MCC gives Archer out&nbsp;— for seven years|date=28 October 2002|newspaper=The Guardian|location=London, UK|first=Jamie|last=Wilson|access-date=6 May 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002172815/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/oct/28/cricket.archer|archive-date=2 October 2013}}</ref>
 
On 21 July 2003, Archer was released on licence from Hollesley Bay after serving half of his [[sentence (law)|sentence]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Lord Archer freed from prison|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3082627.stm|access-date=23 December 2015|work=BBC News|date=22 September 2003|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223114010/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3082627.stm|archive-date=23 December 2015}}</ref>
He remained a peer, there being no legal provision through which his peerage could be removed at the time other than passing a new Act of Parliament.<ref>{{cite news|title=Disgraced Archer may lose peerage|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jul/20/archer.politics2|access-date=23 December 2015|work=The Guardian|date=20 July 2001|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223151943/http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jul/20/archer.politics2|archive-date=23 December 2015}}</ref> He also retained membership of the House of Lords, which did not then have the power to expel members; however, Archer hasdid not takentake an active part in theparliamentary proceedings ofuntil his retirement from the HouseLords on 4 July 2024. Politically, he iswas a [[Non-affiliated members of the House of Lords|non-affiliated member of the House of Lords]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Cameron snubs Archer's Lords bid|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4472638.stm|access-date=23 December 2015|work=BBC News|date=27 November 2005|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060203153757/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4472638.stm|archive-date=3 February 2006}}</ref>
 
===Prison diaries===
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They have two children: William Archer (born 1972), a theatrical producer,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bobandco.co.uk/about-us/people/william-archer/|title=William Archer profile at Bob&Co|location=London|access-date=1 November 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151114100151/http://bobandco.co.uk/about-us/people/william-archer/|archive-date=14 November 2015}}</ref> and [[James Archer (stock trader)|James Archer]] (born 1974), a financial adviser and businessman.
 
In 1979, the Archers purchased the [[Old Vicarage, Grantchester]],<ref name="Scott2">{{cite news |last1=Scott |first1=Danny |title=At home with Lord and Lady Archer |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/at-home-with-lord-and-lady-archer-cvncb5b60 |access-date=17 December 2018 |work=The Times |date=4 November 2018 |archive-date=18 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181218010827/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/at-home-with-lord-and-lady-archer-cvncb5b60 |url-status=live }}</ref> a house associated with the poet [[Rupert Brooke]]. Every summer, they host a lavish garden party in the grounds to celebrate their wedding anniversary.<ref name=Cusick>{{cite news|last1=Cusick|first1=James|title=The Archers entertain a few close friends . . .|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/the-archers-entertain-a-few-close-friends-and-a-crowd-of-peers-writers-and-ministers-the-champagne-1414717.html|access-date=22 December 2015|work=The Independent|date=17 July 1994|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223045259/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/the-archers-entertain-a-few-close-friends-and-a-crowd-of-peers-writers-and-ministers-the-champagne-1414717.html|archive-date=23 December 2015}}</ref> Following the near-bankruptcy of the Aquablast scandal, by the early 1980s, Archer was back in a comfortable financial position and began to hold [[Shepherd's Pie|shepherd's pie]] and [[Champagne Krug|Krug]] parties for prominent people at his London [[penthouse apartment|penthouse]], which overlooks the [[River Thames]] and the [[Houses of Parliament]].<ref name=Davies/><ref name=Watkins/>
 
On 26 February 2006, on [[Andrew Marr]]'s ''[[The Andrew Marr Show|Sunday AM]]'' programme, Archer said he had no interest in returning to front-line politics and would pursue his writing instead.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4752758.stm|title=Archer 'may vote in Lords again'|date=26 February 2006|publisher=BBC|location=London, UK|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060614172311/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4752758.stm|archive-date=14 June 2006}}</ref>
 
==Archer in fiction==
Archer was satirically portrayed as a 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]]'' (2002).<ref name=Truth>{{cite news|title=Jeffrey Archer: The Truth |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/archer/ |publisher=BBC |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151213022403/http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/archer/ |archive-date=13 December 2015}}</ref> Scriptwriter [[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."<ref name=Truth/> [[Ian Hislop]] and [[Nick Newman]]'s 1994 [[BBC Radio 4]] satirical series ''Gush'' purported to be "written by master storyteller Archie Jeffries".<ref>{{cite web|title=Gush|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2015/02/gush|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2022-05-28|archive-date=28 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528210700/https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2015/02/gush|url-status=live}}</ref>
 
In the Amazon series (originally a novel by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman)' '[[Good Omens (TV series)|Good Omens]]'', a reference is made by one of the angels in Aziraphale's bookshop: "Something smells evil." Aziraphale replies, "Oh, that would be the Jeffrey Archer books, I'm afraid."
 
In the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' episode ''[[Silence in the Library]]'', the Doctor mentions that the Library has whole continents of Jeffrey Archer.
 
==Works==
Archer has published 42 works, which have been translated into 33 languages, with combined sales of more than 275 million copies.<ref>{{cite web |title=Jeffrey Archer: Publications |url=https://jeffreyarcher.co.uk/wp-content/static/PDF-Flip/index.html |website=JeffreyArcher |access-date=12 August 2021 |archive-date=12 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812123345/https://jeffreyarcher.co.uk/wp-content/static/PDF-Flip/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
 
===Kane and Abel series===
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*''Over My Dead Body'' (2021)
*''Next in Line'' (2022)
*''Traitor's Gate'' (Sep 2023)
*''An Eye for an Eye'' (2024)
 
===Other novels===
Line 252 ⟶ 257:
 
==See also==
* [[Jonathan Aitken]] — Archer—Archer's contemporary, another Conservative politician imprisoned for perjury
* [[Chris Huhne]] — Liberal—Liberal Democrat politician, imprisoned for perverting the course of justice
 
== References ==
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==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |last=Crick |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Crick |firstyear=Michael|last=Crick1995 |title=Jeffrey Archer: Stranger than Fiction |location=London |publisher=Hamish Hamilton |isbn=0-241-13360-2 |yearoclc=199534767296}}
* {{Cite book |last=Mantle |first=Jonathan |lastyear=Mantle1993 |title=In for a Penny: Unauthorized Biography of Jeffrey Archer |edition=Revised |location=London |publisher=Warner |isbn=978-0751501841 |yearoclc=1993|edition=Revised28928057}}
* {{Cite book |author-linklast=Adam Raphael |first=Adam |lastyear=1989 |author-link=Adam Raphael |title=My Learned Friends: anAn Insider's View of the Jeffrey Archer Case and Other Notorious Actions |location=London |publisher=W. H. Allen & Co. |isbn=978-1-85227-094-0 |yearoclc=198922628264}}
 
==External links==
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* {{Guardian topic}}
* {{New York Times topic|new_id=person/jeffrey-archer}}
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/uk/2001/archer_trial/default.stm In Depth: Archer Trial] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060604013922/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/uk/2001/archer_trial/default.stm |date=4 June 2006 }}, bbc.co.uk; accessed 26 November 2015.
* [http://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/jeffrey-archer Curtis Brown Literary Agency] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309175657/http://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/jeffrey-archer |date=9 March 2016 }}, curtisbrown.co.uk; accessed 26 November 2014.
 
===Interviews===
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/269876.stm Interview about becoming Mayor of London] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222115831/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/269876.stm |date=22 December 2007 }} at [[BBC News]]
* [http://veronikaasks.wordpress.com/jeffrey-archer Interview with Jeffrey Archer on Veronika Asks]
* [http://www.finndian.com/jeffrey-archer-in-chennai Writing tips from Jeffrey Archer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110314012429/http://www.finndian.com/jeffrey-archer-in-chennai |date=14 March 2011 }}
* [http://www.thehindu.com/arts/magazine/article1546185.ece Interview of Jeffrey Archer in the Hindu] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024092528/http://www.thehindu.com/arts/magazine/article1546185.ece |date=24 October 2012 }}
* [http://www.euroweeklynews.com/features/144-features/91702-jeffrey-archer-the-sins-of-the-father-interview Jeffrey Archer 'The Sins of the Father' interview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120417165817/http://www.euroweeklynews.com/features/144-features/91702-jeffrey-archer-the-sins-of-the-father-interview |date=17 April 2012 }}
* [https://www.nfreads.com/interview-with-author-jeffrey-archer/ Interview With Author Jeffrey Archer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919014253/https://www.nfreads.com/interview-with-author-jeffrey-archer/ |date=19 September 2020 }}
 
{{S-start}}
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[[Category:British crime fiction writers]]
[[Category:British people convicted of perverting the course of justice]]
[[Category:British perjurers]]
[[Category:British politicians convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:British sportsperson-politicians]]
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[[Category:People from Weston-super-Mare]]
[[Category:People from the City of London]]
[[Category:People involved in plagiarism controversies]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1966–1970]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1970–1974]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1974]]
[[Category:Writers from London]]
[[Category:Peers retired under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014]]