Boris Johnson’s dinner parties
Sarah Vine who spent 20 years married to Michael Gove and writes a column for the Mail is set to publish a memoir on 19th June. As usual extracts have appeared containing some of the more ‘interesting’ tales from the book. I’m not sure there is anything that interesting. Vine seems focused on the point that the Goves were not quite accepted as part of the Tory ruling class. She recounts that a party of the Chipping Norton set Jeremy Clarkson thought she was a wine waitress.
More interesting arguably are a couple of anecdotes about Boris Johnson at dinner parties. She reports a dinner party in Highgate where Johnson is seated with a woman diner on either side. He fails to make conversation and then declares it would be better if he made a speech.
On a second occasion, at Johnson’s then home in Islington a joint dinner party with his then partner Marina Warner, found him on a speaker phone to political allies discussing whether he should back the vote Leave campaign. Lamb was served with Boris telling other guests to keep quiet so he could get on with his conversation. An interesting insight into how the other lives, as well as underlining that old Etonian Johnson was interested almost entirely in himself
Another account of the Islington dinner party:
On Tuesday 16th February 2016 Michael Gove and his then wife Sarah Vine had (according to Tom Bowers biography of Johnson) joined him for a slow roast lamb dinner at his house in Islington. Also present was the owner of the Independent and Evening Standard the future Lord Lebedev. According to Bower there was a Government lawyer on a speakerphone and those present were discussing what attitude to take on the forthcoming Brexit Referendum. Bower suggests that Johnson’s decision to back leave was based not on principle but on perceived personal political advantage.
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