Michelle ThompsonExclusive: Leak reveals how the former leader used a publicly funded office to advance private business interests.
A cache of leaked documents from Boris Johnson’s private office shows how the former prime minister may have used the contacts and influence gained during his time in office to profit, potentially violating ethics and lobbying regulations.
Known as the Boris Files, the collection includes emails, letters, invoices, speeches, and business contracts. They provide an inside look at the operations of a publicly funded company Johnson set up after leaving Downing Street in September 2022.
The documents suggest Johnson has leveraged the company to oversee multiple lucrative roles and business ventures, raising questions about whether he has breached “revolving door” rules that govern post-ministerial careers.
The disclosures echo the Greensill Capital lobbying scandal that involved a previous prime minister, David Cameron, and may prompt scrutiny of the taxpayer-funded allowance that former prime ministers receive to maintain their private offices.
The cache contains more than 1,800 files, some dating back to Johnson’s time in Downing Street. The Guardian is the only UK media outlet known to have examined the collection.
Key revelations include:
- Johnson lobbied a senior Saudi official he met while in office, urging him to present a pitch to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a company he co-chairs.
- He received over £200,000 from a hedge fund following a meeting with Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, contradicting earlier statements that he was unpaid.
- While in office, Johnson reportedly held a secret meeting with billionaire Peter Thiel, founder of the controversial US data firm Palantir, months before the company was granted access to NHS data.
- In a potential violation of Covid-19 lockdown rules, Johnson hosted a dinner for a Tory peer who funded an expensive refurbishment of his Downing Street flat, just a day after the second national lockdown began.
Johnson did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The files were obtained by Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoS), a US-based nonprofit archiving leaked documents. DDoS said it did not know the source of the leak, though the appearance of the data on its servers raises questions about a possible security breach in Johnson’s office.
Most files cover the period from September 2022 to July 2024, after Johnson left office, though some documents date to his premiership.
The leaks highlight how Johnson has built a lucrative private-sector career, drawing attention to the public duty costs allowance (PDCA) scheme. This program provides former UK prime ministers with government funds to cover expenses related to their public duties—not private or commercial activities.
A senior Cabinet Office source confirmed that Johnson has used PDCA funds to pay staff salaries in his private office, claiming £182,000 since leaving government.
The documents show that Johnson’s office has been central to managing his commercial ventures, including deals with the Daily Mail, GB News, and global speaking engagements for high-paying clients. Between October 2022 and May 2024, he reportedly earned around £5.1 million for 34 speeches, with fees often supplemented by first-class travel and five-star accommodations for himself and staff.
While former prime ministers are allowed to deliver paid speeches, there are rules restricting post-office business activities, including lobbying contacts developed while in government. Johnson was reminded of these rules by an official watchdog upon leaving Downing Street.
The Boris Files put pressure on Johnson to clarify how some of his recent foreign-government contacts for commercial purposes align with post-ministerial rules.
