A leading Shakespearean expert in Stratford-upon-Avon has turned down a request to help Boris Johnson write his book on the Bard. The prime minister allegedly was working on The Riddle of Genius instead of attending Cobra (Civil Contingencies Committee) meetings.

Mr Johnson’s literary agent allegedly asked a Shakespeare expert to semi-dictate the content of the book to Mr. Johnson. The Churchill Factor, a recent book penned by Mr Johnson, was written in collaboration with his former research assistant Warren Dockter.

Stephen Greenblatt, author of Will in the Wolrld: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare, has not been approached to help with Johnson’s book. He said, “I haven’t been approached and do not know who might have been. Have you tried Jim Shapiro at Columbia? If I were the PM, I might ask him.”