Ann Sindall

Dame Ann Sindall DBE was Boris Johnson's secretary or personal assistant while he was editor of The Spectator and Mayor of London.[1] She was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in Johnson's Resignation Honours, announced on 9 June 2023, for political and public service.[2][3] Robert Peston tweeted that "The most interesting Johnson honour is the dame-hood for Ann Sindall, his loyal assistant for decades and who probably knows the former prime minister better than almost anyone".[4]

Sonia Purnell, in her 2012 book Just Boris: A Tale of Blond Ambition, describes Sindall's role as Johnson's secretary at The Spectator. She is said to have been described as "almost a pantomime Northerner ... like Boris is a pantomime toff".[5] Purnell describes Sindall as "redoubtable, crop-haired ... with her crisp Northern humour and 'socialist' tendencies", and quotes a colleague as saying that she ran the Spectator office "with the implacable demeanour of a headmistress trained by the SAS".[5] She had a Jack Russell Terrier called Harry which accompanied her to the office.[5]

In November 2022 Sindall became the director of The Office of Boris Johnson Ltd, succeeding Shelley Williams-Walker.[6][7]

Sindall is from Batley, West Yorkshire.[5]

  1. ^ Walker, Peter (12 January 2023). "Boris Johnson given £1m donation by former Brexit party backer". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Resignation Honours 2023" (PDF). UK Government. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  3. ^ "No. 64120". The London Gazette (Supplement). 21 July 2023. p. 14503.
  4. ^ Peston, Robert (9 June 2023). "Tweet". Twitter. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d Purnell, Sonia (2012). Just Boris: A Tale of Blond Ambition - A Biography of Boris Johnson. Aurum Press. ISBN 9781845137410.
  6. ^ Thévoz, Seth (23 March 2023). "Boris Johnson rakes in £5m in 6 months after leaving office". openDemocracy. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  7. ^ "The Office of Boris Johnson Limited: people". gov.uk. Companies House. Retrieved 11 June 2023.