HarperCollins takes debut from ex-BBC politics editor Burley

HarperCollins has scooped Why is This Lying Bastard Lying to Me?, an insider account and debut by former BBC political programming editor Rob Burley.

Editorial director Joel Simons won the UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Martin Redfern at Northbank Talent Management. The book is due to be published in February 2023.

Through the lens of 12 key political interviews over the past 25 years, Burley humorously explores his unique experiences with the top country’s politicians. From Thatcher to Johnson, with Corbyn and Cameron in between, Burley "explores the state of democracy and accountability in a post-truth era, where voters now expect dishonesty from their leaders".

“After 25 years making political television, working with star presenters on interviews with prime ministers, chancellors and world leaders, I want to tell the inside story,” said Burley. “It’s no exaggeration to say that these encounters, between interviewers and politicians who rule us, are now a battle over truth. At a time in our political culture when truth matters more than ever but is in such short supply, I’m excited to be working with Joel at HarperNonFiction to take readers behind the scenes and reveal why those who lead us are so often ready to lie—and how they get away with it.”

“Rob Burley was the fly-on-the-wall during some of the most influential and dramatic television interviews of the past 30 years,” said Simons. “I’m delighted to be working on bringing his unique insight to life in this brilliantly entertaining book. From a forthright Thatcher to a shameless Boris Johnson, it’s a fascinating portrait of the modern politician and their shaky relationship with TV, the media and the truth. And with Owen Paterson saga and the recent Downing Street Christmas Party mess ringing in our ears, it feels like the perfect time to ask the question famously first posed by Jeremy Paxman: 'Why is this lying bastard lying to me?'”