By Julia Banim
Nadine Dorries made some extraordinary claims in her explosive book The Plot: The Political Assassination of Boris Johnson, including allegations surrounding a 'shadowy fixer' said to rule over Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The former Cabinet minister, who says the government 'desperately' tried to stop the tell-all tome from being published, refers to this individual only as 'Mr No', in a nod to the sinister James Bond villain, Dr No. According to Ms Dorries, 66, 'Mr No' has been employed at the very top of the Tory Party since the '90s, wielding influence from the shadows.
In one particularly startling claim, Ms Dorries alleged that 'Mr No' has a sick love of violence, and even once ordered a 'Mafia-style' assassination of an innocent rabbit.
In an extract from the book, which was serialised by the Mail Online, Ms Dorries claimed: "[Mr No] is paid by Central Office, has a pass to No 10 and, some say, Rishi Sunak doesn't move without first seeking his advice. And yet people can spend years working in No 10 and never hear his name mentioned."
The former Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport then went on to allege that the mysterious 'Mr No' ordered a bloody 'Mafia-style' killing of an ex-girlfriend's pet rabbit. She wrote: "When a girlfriend ended their relationship, it is rumoured that he had her little brother's pet rabbit chopped into four and nailed to the front door of the family home to greet him when he got home from school, in true Mafia style."
According to Ms Dorries, consecutive party chairmen had been left perplexed over who exactly the person listed on the payroll as 'Dr No' actually is, despite him apparently holding a formidable degree of power over the country's leaders. Indeed, as per Ms Dorries, this murky individual and his network supposedly conspired to orchestrate Mr Sunak's ascent into 10 Downing Street, and were also working behind the scenes during the governments of David Cameron and Theresa May.
Detailing his apparent taste for violence, Ms Dorries said: "For a man with a secretive past, he appears to have trouble keeping clear of the authorities. Mr No loves violence too. If ever there is a demonstration in Downing Street and he's in there, he will slip out of the back door into the street and he seeks out the violent clashes. He doesn't take part, he just cruises around and watches."
She continued: "It really is quite remarkable, over 40 years, only a handful of people who have been in No 10 could point him out to you. If a staffer ever asked, 'Who is that man?' as he shuffled past, there would be no answer forthcoming."
The Mirror has reached out to the Cabinet Office for comment.
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