Boris Johnson has been found to have breached rules designed to prevent the abuse of contacts and access made in public office, the ethics watchdog has confirmed. The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) concluded that the former prime minister failed to comply with regulations after he refused to answer specific questions about allegations published by the Guardian.
The Guardian's 'Boris Files' revealed documents suggesting Johnson repeatedly broke rules forbidding him from exploiting for private gain contacts made in office. Leaked documents indicated he secretly lobbied the UAE for a billion-dollar private venture and used senior Saudi government contacts to pitch a consultancy firm's services.
Acoba wrote to Johnson asking him to explain his actions, but he declined to provide factual denials, insisting all rules had been followed. Acoba chair Isabel Doverty found him in breach, describing his response as 'highly disappointing'. Johnson claimed the stories were based on material illegally hacked by a hostile state actor, though the Guardian has seen no evidence of false information.
The watchdog sent five specific questions about Johnson's relationships with Better Earth and Bia Advisory, but he did not address whether he had mentioned these ventures to foreign government representatives. Acoba appealed to his standing as a former prime minister, but Johnson opted not to engage substantively.
This adds to previous violations, including retrospective applications for columnist roles and refusal to answer questions about a meeting with Venezuela's president. Acoba has referred the matter to the Cabinet Office, the only enforcement mechanism available.
