Jeffrey Archer, bestselling UK novelist and scandal-plagued politician, dies aged 86

Jeffrey Archer, the bestselling British novelist and former ​politician who was jailed for lying in a high-profile libel case, has died aged ‌86, his publisher HarperCollins said.

Archer sold over 300 million copies worldwide and was known for pacy thrillers like his 1976 debut “Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less” and 1979’s “Kane & Abel”. His final novel, “Adam and Eve”, is ​due to be published on Tuesday.

Kate Elton, HarperCollins’ UK CEO and Archer’s editor, said in a ​statement: “We’re all devastated to have lost a writer who has brought joy to ⁠generations of readers — and a true friend.”

Archer was also a prominent Conservative politician, who briefly served as ​a lawmaker before becoming a senior party official under then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the mid-1980s.

But he ​was as well-known for his very public downfall.

In 1987, Archer sued the Daily Star tabloid for saying he had paid a woman for sex, winning a then-record £500,000 ($660,450) in damages. The case returned to the public eye when he was selected ​as the Conservative candidate to become London’s first elected mayor in 1999. A former friend accused ​him of lying and Archer was eventually charged with perjury and perverting the course of justice, convicted and sentenced to ‌four ⁠years’ imprisonment. He served two years, during which time he wrote “A Prison Diary”.

ARCHER TRIAL NOTORIOUS FOR JUDGE’S SUMMING UP

The trial of Archer’s libel case, which was heard in front of a jury, became notorious for the judge’s summing up of evidence given by Archer’s wife Mary.

“Remember Mary Archer in the witness ​box,” the judge, Bernard ​Caulfield, told the jury. “Your ⁠vision of her will probably never disappear. Has she elegance? Has she fragrance? Would she have, without the strain of this trial, radiance?”

And, of Archer, he ​added: “Is he in need of cold, unloving, rubber-insulated sex in a seedy hotel?”

Archer’s ​reputation as ⁠one of the most colourful figures in British public life did no harm to his literary career. His books were sold in 119 countries, HarperCollins said. He spent a total of five-and-a-half years on the New ⁠York Times ​bestseller lists.

He was due to speak about his final novel ​this weekend at the Cheltenham Literature Festival and had recently appeared on radio shows to promote the book.

HarperCollins said he had ​died suddenly and peacefully, “between writing sessions”.