Archer, Jeffrey Howard (1940- )

English writer and politician. He was a Conservative member of Parliament 1969-74, and a best-selling novelist and dramatist. His political career was marred by a scandal in which he was accused of making payments to a prostitute, and he was later imprisoned for creating a false alibi for a libel case against the Daily Star.

His books, which often concern the rise of insignificant characters to high political office or great business success, include Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less (1975), Kane and Abel (1979), First Among Equals (1984), The Fourth Estate (1997), and The Gospel According to Judas (2007). His short stories are collected in To Cut a Long Story Short (2000). He wrote and starred in the play The Accused (2000).

In 1985 he became deputy chair of the Conservative Party, but resigned the following year after the Daily Star alleged he was making payments to a prostitute. Although he was successful in the ensuing libel case against the Daily Star, it was revealed in 1999 that he had organized a false alibi. He was forced to step down as Conservative Party candidate for mayor of London, and in 2000 was expelled from the Conservative Party for five years. In 2001 he was sentenced to four years in prison for perjury and perverting the course of justice. He was made a baron in 1992.