How Not to Be a Political Wife

Sarah Vine

$61.95

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

HarperCollins
30 September 2025

Biography; Autobiography: historical, political & military; Memoirs; Reportage & collected journalism; Politics & government

‘You think you’ve married a journalist, then, horrors, he becomes a politician.'

'Sarah Vine is the Bridget Jones of politics.' Plum Sykes

'Everyone in Westminster is talking about it.' The London Standard

'I take it all back; she's fabulous. Nobody in Westminster can afford not to buy this book.' Rachel Johnson

‘Moving and heartfelt – what a journey. I’m amazed she’s still standing.’ Imogen Edwards-Jones

How Not to Be a Political Wife is an unflinching account of life at the heart of politics, and what it's like to have politics rip the heart out of your life. It’s a story of high hopes and dirty tricks, broken friendships and divided loyalties, laughter and glamour.

Recollections, as a great woman once said, may of course vary, but this is my story, the way I remember it, written with no fear, no favour – and no fucks left to give.

Buckle up.

I thought long and hard about writing this memoir. I’ve done so not to settle old scores or plead my case, but more because I hope it’s a tale worth telling, not just for those who are interested in the political events of the past few years, but also because it’s about the people and characters behind those events, and why things ended up the way they did.

For nearly 20 years I was inside the rooms of government, a sanctioned eavesdropper on the rise – and fall – of the Cameroon style of Conservatism. At the same time I was building a career in journalism, raising two children and doing my best to support my own husband, Michael Gove, on his political journey. I was both an insider and an outsider; an observer – via my journalism – as well as a participant in the cut and thrust (mainly cut, if I’m honest) of frontline politics.

After my divorce from Michael and the demise of the Conservatives’ Old Guard, that all came to an end. I’m no longer officially a Westminster WAG, but you won’t find me mourning. Politics trampled my health, my happiness, my marriage, my sanity; it placed intolerable pressure on my loved ones, especially my children; it twisted my sense of self, and others’ sense of me; it tainted everything I did or said. I can’t say I miss it. I do, however, miss the life and the relationships I had before it all. These are the recollections of a survivor, but they are also a love letter to all that was lost in the wreck.

By: Sarah Vine
Imprint: HarperCollins
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 240mm, Width: 159mm, Spine: 32mm
Weight: 520g
ISBN: 9780008746575
ISBN 10: 0008746575
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 30 September 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Sarah Vine is a writer and editor at The Times. Currently she is Beauty Editor, but over the years she has been (in no particular order) a sub-editor, Arts Editor, leader writer and general all-weather commentator. She also co-authored The Great Big Glorious Book for Girls. Sarah lives in West London with a wonderful husband, two naughty children and an even naughtier Jack Russell.

Reviews for How Not to Be a Political Wife

‘Exceptionally clever. An excellent writer. Insanely fast. And very very brave. In the tumultuous last 18 months Sarah Vine has become the beating heart of the Mail – the columnist readers turn to first to make sense of it all – and now, for the fourth time in five years,Tabloid Columnist of the Year, the only writer ever to win it so many times. What she provides is a masterclass in writing tabloid columns.’ – The Press Awards 2024, Tabloid Columnist of the Year Award ‘Witty, rye and incredibly touching – a unique insight into the personalities behind the politics.’ – Santa Montefiore ‘Moving and heartfelt – what a journey. I’m amazed she’s still standing.’- Imogen Edwards-Jones 'I take it all back; she's fabulous. Nobody in Westminster can afford not to buy this book' – Rachel Johnson