A leaked trove of documents, dubbed the 'Boris Files', reveals how former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has leveraged contacts and influence from his time in office to secure lucrative business deals, raising potential ethics and lobbying concerns. The cache, obtained by the non-profit Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoS) and viewed exclusively by The Guardian, includes emails, invoices, and contracts from Johnson's private office, which is partly funded by taxpayers.
The files show that Johnson lobbied a senior Saudi official, whom he met while in office, to pitch a business proposal to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He also received over £200,000 from a hedge fund after meeting Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro, contradicting earlier statements that he was not paid. Additionally, Johnson appears to have held a secret meeting with billionaire Peter Thiel, founder of data firm Palantir, months before the company was given a role managing NHS data.
The revelations raise questions about Johnson's use of the Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA), a taxpayer-funded subsidy intended to support former prime ministers' public duties, not private or commercial activities. Johnson has claimed £182,000 under the scheme since leaving office, using it to pay staff salaries in his private company, the Office of Boris Johnson. The files suggest his office has been central to managing his commercial ventures, including deals with Daily Mail and GB News, and a series of high-paid speeches.
Between October 2022 and May 2024, Johnson earned approximately £5.1 million from 34 speeches, often commanding hundreds of thousands of pounds per engagement plus expenses for first-class travel and five-star hotels. While such earnings are not illegal, the blurring of public and private roles has sparked criticism. Johnson denied any misuse of the PDCA, calling the story 'rubbish' and comparing The Guardian to 'Pravda'. The Cabinet Office has confirmed Johnson claimed funds under the scheme, but the full extent of his commercial activities remains under scrutiny.
