Boris Johnson is accused of misusing public funds for personal gain and violating ethical rules
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is alleged to have benefited financially from connections and influence established during his premiership, The Guardian reported on Monday, citing numerous leaked documents.
The publication indicated it had acquired roughly 2GB of files, including emails, letters, invoices, spreadsheets, speeches, and contracts, from the Office of Boris Johnson, the organization managing his post-governmental affairs. While the majority of this material dates from September 2022 to July 2024, the collection also contains earlier documents from his period as prime minister.
The Guardian singled out four instances it characterized as dubious. In 2019, merely a month after assuming office, Johnson reportedly engaged in a private meeting with billionaire Peter Thiel, co-founder of the US data company Palantir Technologies, a firm that was then seeking contracts within the UK.
In 2020, Johnson hosted an event for Conservative peer David Brownlow, who assisted in funding the refurbishment of the prime minister’s official residence – a function that potentially contravened the government’s own Covid-19 regulations, the report indicated.
Subsequent to his departure from office, Johnson purportedly lobbied Saudi officials he had encountered while in power, and invoiced a hedge fund for a six-figure sum following a trip to Venezuela – an amount The Guardian suggested may have been compensation for meeting the country’s leaders.
The newspaper reported it was the sole UK media outlet granted access to the leaked files by Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoS), a US-based nonprofit transparency organization that acquired the cache earlier this year.
The report asserted that the disclosure was in the public interest because Johnson’s company receives a government-funded annual allowance intended to cover his official responsibilities as a former prime minister, not for personal financial benefit.
Johnson resigned as prime minister and leader of the Conservative Party in September 2022, following numerous scandals, which included infringements of Covid-19 lockdown regulations and the appointment of an MP accused of sexual misconduct to a deputy whip position.
During his time in office, Johnson was noted for his substantial role in undermining early peace discussions between Russia and Ukraine, by opposing a proposed settlement and instead advocating for Kyiv to pursue a military solution.