Britain and India have agreed on a long-stalled free trade agreement that will reduce or eliminate tariffs on Scotch whisky and scores of other products LONDON -- Britain and India announced Tuesday that they have agreed on a long-stalled free trade agreement that will slash tariffs on Scotch whisky and scores of other products. The deal comes more than three years after negotiations started — and stalled — under a previous British government. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X that the deal was “ambitious and mutually beneficial.” The British government called it a “landmark.” It said the deal will reduce Indian import taxes on whisky, cosmetics, medical goods, car and airplane parts and other goods from the U.K. Whisky and gin tariffs will be halved from 150% to 75% before falling to 40% by year 10 of the deal. Automotive tariffs will fall from over 100% to 10% under a quota. Britain said the deal is expected to increase bilateral trade by 25.5 billion pounds ($34 billion) a year “in the long run.” Mark Kent, chief executive of the Scotch Whisky Association, said the deal would be “transformational” for the industry. India is one of the world’s largest whisky markets. He said it had “the potential to increase Scotch Whisky exports to India by 1 billion pounds over the next five years.” Formal talks that began in 2022 on a [free trade agreement](https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-biden-covid-boris-johnson-047d39a99de6528f40958bc11a3f9f1c) were hailed by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson as a key goal after Britain’s departure from the European Union in 2020. Johnson famously promised to have a deal done by Diwali in October of that year. The two countries held 13 rounds of negotiations without a breakthrough before talks were suspended while both nations held 2024 general elections. Modi was re-elected, and Britain replaced the Conservative government with one led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party.

Boris Johnson recently approached senior Saudi officials he had met when he was prime minister to pitch the services of a consultancy firm he claimed “could be useful” to the petrostate’s autocratic crown prince, [Mohammed bin Salman](https://www.theguardian.com/world/mohammed-bin-salman), leaked files suggest. Johnson, who resigned from government in 2022, appears to have led the newly formed company’s efforts last year to persuade the Saudi government to hire it to provide advice on reducing carbon emissions. The revelations, contained in leaked documents seen by the Guardian, appear to show Johnson exploited contacts he had made in Downing Street for commercial purposes. They raise questions about whether he breached lobbying restrictions imposed on former ministers. Johnson’s overtures to the most powerful figures in [Saudi Arabia](https://www.theguardian.com/world/saudiarabia) were for Better Earth, a little-known UK-based consultancy firm established by a Canadian mining financier, who co-chairs the company with the ex-PM. The approaches included a lunch and meeting in a private members’ club with an influential Saudi minister whom Johnson had met while in government, files suggest. Johnson also personally wrote a flattering letter addressed to Prince Mohammed, telling the de facto Saudi leader he was a “fervent admirer of the vision you have for the kingdom”. The letter is contained in the Boris Files, a [cache of leaked documents](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/08/what-are-the-boris-johnson-files-former-prime-minister) that shine a light on Johnson’s post-prime ministerial career. The files were obtained by [Distributed Denial of Secrets](https://ddosecrets.com/), a US non-profit that archives data leaks. The cache offers an inside view of how Johnson has forged a lucrative career in the private sector after leaving government, using his influence and contacts made while in public office. Johnson and Better Earth did not respond to repeated requests for comment. The Saudi government also did not respond. Better Earth’s shareholders include seven close associates and advisers to Johnson, including two ex-Conservative ministers and Charlotte Owen, a 32-year-old former aide [given a peerage](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jul/24/former-boris-johnson-aide-joins-lords-youngest-ever-life-peer-charlotte-owen) by the ex-PM. As prime minister and, earlier in his career, foreign secretary, Johnson engaged extensively with the government of Saudi Arabia, an authoritarian state that rights groups have long criticised for human rights abuses. [](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/08/boris-johnson-sought-business-with-saudi-officials-better-earth#img-2) Boris Johnson and Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh in March 2022. Photograph: Getty Images Johnson met Prince Mohammed on a visit to Riyadh in 2022 and held a series of official calls with the royal while in Downing Street. The pair were reported to have frequently exchanged WhatsApp messages. In his letter addressed to the crown prince last year, Johnson wrote: “I would very much like to explore whether \[Better Earth\] could be useful to you and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in achieving your ambitions – because I believe it certainly could.” Offer of employment ------------------- Better Earth was founded by a Canadian businessman, Amir Adnani, in late 2023. How Johnson first became involved with Adnani, who runs a multibillion-dollar uranium mining company and has [appeared](https://www.uraniumenergy.com/featured-video-42/) on the former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s podcast, remains unclear. The Observer [reported last year](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/sep/07/boris-johnson-faces-questions-uranium-business-charlotte-owen-aide) that a senior executive at Adnani’s US-based mining group met Johnson while prime minister in May 2022. Adnani [posted on social media](https://x.com/NickKyrgios/status/1521572083662155777) that Johnson and the executive discussed nuclear power and uranium. Less than two years later, Adnani established Better Earth and hired Johnson, who had resigned as prime minister 15 months earlier, to serve as co-chair of the company, a part-time role for which he would receive £120,000 a year as well as an initial 12.5% stake in the business, files suggest. The offer of employment was signed in late January 2024, a day after Johnson visited Riyadh, where he gave a speech and appears to have attended a dinner hosted by the UK’s ambassador. According to the files, Johnson agreed to begin working for the company on 1 February. Days later, he completed an application form for the watchdog that monitors and approves post-government jobs, telling the body that he planned to start working for the firm in March. “I was approached with an offer to be part of this new venture,” Johnson wrote in the application to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba). He said he would “represent the company at meetings with potential clients and investors”. The form did not mention that Johnson had by then already agreed to work for the company. When Acoba approved the role in April 2024, the watchdog imposed conditions, stating that for two years after leaving office Johnson “should not become personally involved in lobbying contacts you developed during your time in office in other governments” to secure business or investment for Better Earth. However, Johnson had by then already had lunch with the Saudi minister of commerce, Majid al-Qasabi, whom he had earlier met in his capacity as prime minister, during which the new venture was discussed, files suggest. [](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/08/boris-johnson-sought-business-with-saudi-officials-better-earth#img-3) Boris Johnson and Majid al-Qasabi in Riyadh in March 2022. Photograph: Andrew Parsons/No 10 Downing Street Johnson met Qasabi on numerous occasions when in government. At least one meeting occurred at Downing Street, and documents seen by the Guardian suggest Qasabi oversaw Johnson’s trip as prime minister to the kingdom in March 2022. Official photos of the visit show Johnson on an evening tour of Riyadh’s streets with Qasabi walking at his side. ‘Friend’ in trunks ------------------ Leaked files suggest that after the February 2024 lunch with Qasabi, Better Earth planned for Johnson to send a letter to Prince Mohammed with the minister’s support. In an apparent reference to Qasabi, the company’s CEO wrote: “We have taken all the advice Majid has given us.” Johnson appears to have then drafted formal letters to Qasabi and Prince Mohammed later in February 2024. They were prepared with an “Office of Boris Johnson” letterhead. It is unclear when or if they were ultimately sent. [](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/08/boris-johnson-sought-business-with-saudi-officials-better-earth#img-4) Boris Johnson and Mohammed bin Salman in March 2022. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/AP Writing to the crown prince, Johnson referred to meeting Qasabi years earlier, recalling that his “friend” was “wearing a pair of floral swimming trunks … because we were both diving off the coast of what was then a trackless desert”. Johnson continued: “Although I now live a life of blameless rustic obscurity in Oxfordshire, I remain deeply committed to carbon reduction.” He noted that he had “helped run the highly successful” Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow in 2021. “I now chair a company that offers practical solutions for developing green energy and reducing carbon,” he wrote, explaining that he was “sending a more detailed note” about the company to Qasabi. “But it would of course be a great honour to come to see you and to explain in person.” ‘Keen to advise and assist’ --------------------------- According to a draft of the accompanying letter to Qasabi, Johnson said Better Earth was “keen to advise and assist” Saudi Arabia on preparing carbon reduction commitments for the UN’s Cop30 climate summit later this year. He wrote that Better Earth was “not just an adviser but a project developer”. He said the company “would be honoured to send our team of experts” to the kingdom to evaluate opportunities to partner on developing “net zero geothermal electricity generation” projects. “We would very much like to meet with the appropriate ministerial authorities,” Johnson said. “Our hope is to help \[the crown prince\] to achieve his ambitions.” It is not clear if Qasabi passed on details of Johnson’s pitch to Prince Mohammed or how exactly the Saudi government, which is a close UK ally, responded to the overtures. However, Qasabi appears to have met the ex-PM several months later, in mid-June 2024. Quick GuideShow  If you have something to share about this story, you can contact Henry using one of the following methods. **Secure Messaging in the Guardian app** The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don’t already have the Guardian app, download it ([iOS](https://apps.apple.com/app/the-guardian-live-world-news/id409128287)/[Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.guardian)) and go to the menu. Select ‘Secure Messaging’. To send a message to Henry Dyer please choose the ‘UK Investigations’ team. **Email (not secure)** If you don’t need a high level of security or confidentiality you can email [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). **SecureDrop and other secure methods** If you can safely use the tor network without being observed or monitored you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our [SecureDrop platform](https://www.theguardian.com/securedrop). Finally, our guide at [theguardian.com/tips](https://www.theguardian.com/tips) lists several ways to contact us securely, and discusses the pros and cons of each. Illustration: Guardian Design / Rich Cousins Thank you for your feedback. Files suggest the meeting occurred at 5 Hertford Street, a Mayfair private members’ club owned by Robin Birley, a multimillionaire businessman and prominent Brexit supporter. Writing to the club, Johnson’s assistant said: “Boris has asked if he might be able to use Robin’s study for a meeting,” and provided details of a small group of expected attenders. The list suggests Better Earth was on the meeting’s agenda. As well as Johnson and Qasabi, Adnani, the ex-PM’s Canadian business partner, planned to attend alongside Chris Skidmore and Nigel Adams, two former Tory ministers who hold shares in Better Earth.

Boris Johnson is under mounting pressure to explain how his private office complies with rules over taxpayer subsidies after further revelations about how his staff appear to be overseeing his global commercial operations. A leak of data from the Office of Boris Johnson appears to show all three of his staff helping Johnson’s business and profit-making ventures. The office is partly funded by the public duty costs allowance (PDCA), which rules say should only be used to support the public work of former prime ministers. Johnson said he had followed the rules. Five other former prime ministers – Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May and Liz Truss – have released statements saying they fully comply with rules prohibiting the use of public funds for private business. It is understood Sunak does not claim the allowance. Brown said there was now a need for the introduction of new rules that would require former prime ministers to publicly declare their business interests. There are growing calls for the National Audit Office, which scrutinises public spending, including the PDCA scheme for former prime ministers, to launch an inquiry. Johnson did not directly respond to questions about the slew of revelations concerning his apparent attempts to monetise his time in Downing Street after stepping down as prime minister in September 2022. They include business ventures in [Venezuela](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/08/boris-johnson-nicolas-maduro-meeting-invoice), the [UAE](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/09/boris-johnson-secretly-lobbied-uae-business-venture-leak-suggests) and [Saudi Arabia](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/08/boris-johnson-sought-business-with-saudi-officials-better-earth) involving individuals he met while prime minister. In his first comments since the Guardian revealed details of the leak, Johnson denied suggestions he was misusing public funds. “This story is rubbish,” he said. “The PDCA has been used entirely in accordance with the rules. The Guardian should change its name to Pravda.” On Tuesday, the Guardian revealed further details about the operations of Johnson’s private office. They suggest the former Conservative leader: * [Secretly lobbied the UAE for a billion-dollar private venture in a potential breach of ethics rules](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/09/boris-johnson-secretly-lobbied-uae-business-venture-leak-suggests). His work as a “principal adviser” for Bia Advisory, a “climate finance solutions” firm seeking backing from Abu Dhabi’s $300bn investment fund, involved courting a top Emirati official Johnson hosted in No 10 when he was prime minister. * Approached Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, [on behalf of Evgeny Lebedev](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/09/boris-johnson-elon-musk-evening-standard-evgeny-lebedev). The Evening Standard owner, whom Johnson made a peer, was seeking a business relationship between his newspaper and Musk, who bankrolled Donald Trump’s ascent to the White House. * Secured contracts with a combined total of more than £850,000 in separate deals with GB News and Associated Newspapers, the owner of the Daily Mail. GB News suggested some of the information was incorrect but confirmed an ongoing arrangement with Johnson. * Earned more than £5m [from less than two years of paid speeches](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/09/boris-johnson-paid-speeches-putin-queen-birthday-bash), for some of which he charged $350,000 (£259,000). The 34 speeches include a conference leadership in Delhi, a blockchain symposium in Singapore and a bizarre turn as the headline act at the 50th birthday party of a German pharmaceuticals company boss. The speeches, like much of the material in the leak, raise questions for Johnson about the manner in which he has been trading on his time in No 10 for private gain, in a possible conflict of interest. He was paid $250,000 (£185,000) to give a speech in California in May 2024 to an American private equity firm, Clearlake Capital. Two years earlier, in May 2022, Johnson’s government had authorised the £2.5bn sale of Chelsea Football Club to, among others, Clearlake. (A source at the company said the two events were entirely unconnected.) There are also questions over whether, in return for cash, he is divulging views or information former prime ministers typically keep to themselves. Johnson’s audiences have been treated to his views on Barack Obama (“the most inert, invertebrate president we’ve had for a long, long time”) and Vladimir Putin (“like the fat boy in Dickens, he wants to make your flesh creep”), as well as private anecdotes about the late [Queen Elizabeth II](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/queen), including a time he said she advised him to talk to birds. The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, which monitors the activities of former ministers and senior civil servants, said it would look into Johnson’s newly revealed contacts and income since leaving office. A senior Cabinet Office source confirmed that Johnson claimed funds under the scheme to pay for staff salaries in his private office. Official data shows he has claimed £182,000 in PDCA payments since leaving government. However, the Liberal Democrats have called on the NAO to launch a formal investigation into potential misuse of public funds. The NAO has the power to examine the paperwork that is submitted by former prime ministers to claim their allowance. Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Cabinet Office minister in charge of public standards, said Johnson had questions to answer over the revelations. Speaking to the Guardian’s Politics Weekly podcast, Thomas-Symonds said: “Boris Johnson has serious questions to answer about his conduct in Covid. And on previous evidence, his behaviour since leaving office has been a disgrace.” The Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, defended Johnson’s right to undertake lucrative work after he had left office. “I think that people should be able to earn money when they leave politics,” she told GB News.

The publisher of the [Washington Post](https://www.theguardian.com/media/washington-post), Will Lewis, is facing fresh questions over his independence after a cache of leaked files revealed he gave extensive support to Boris Johnson as a secret political adviser when Johnson was prime minister. The files shed light on how the media executive, who at the time was vice-chair of the [Associated Press](https://www.theguardian.com/media/associated-press) news agency, worked behind the scenes with Johnson as his premiership was engulfed by a series of scandals. Lewis’s meetings with Johnson, which took place over a six-month period in 2022, were not disclosed in official transparency records, in an apparent breach of government rules. In July 2022, on the eve of Johnson’s announcement that he would resign from government, Lewis spent the day in 10 Downing Street and worked closely with Johnson and his advisers. Lewis appears to have arrived early in the morning, at 7.50am, and took part in at least six meetings during the day, including a gathering of Johnson’s aides to prepare him for prime minister’s questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons. In the meetings, which stretched into the evening, Lewis appears to have participated in gatherings of Johnson’s closest political allies, including several MPs and a senior minister, as the prime minister came under intense pressure to step down. Details of the extent of Lewis’s support for Johnson are revealed in official government logs that provide a minute-by-minute record of the prime minister’s activities. The logs are marked “official – sensitive”. The records are contained in the Boris Files, a [cache of documents](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/08/what-are-the-boris-johnson-files-former-prime-minister) obtained by [Distributed Denial of Secrets](https://ddosecrets.com/), a US non-profit that archives data leaks, and seen by the Guardian. According to the files, Lewis spoke or met with the prime minister on at least 11 occasions between February and July 2022. In total, Lewis appears to have provided Johnson with at least 15 hours of political advice during this period. The exposure of the meetings raises questions for Lewis about his proximity to political power and whether his role advising a serving UK prime minister amounted to a conflict of interest with his role at AP. It also places a spotlight on Lewis’s relationship with Johnson, who nominated the media executive for a knighthood for “political and public service” after leaving office. [](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/10/washington-post-boss-will-lewis-secret-adviser-boris-johnson-leak#img-2) Will Lewis in 2006, when he was editor of the Daily Telegraph. Photograph: Independent/Alamy Lewis was editor of the Daily Telegraph in the 2000s when Johnson was a columnist for the paper. Lewis then spent a decade at companies controlled by Rupert Murdoch, including the UK-based News Group Newspapers (NGN) when it was dealing with allegations of past phone hacking. His tenure at the Washington Post has been mired in controversy after allegations recently [emerged in court proceedings](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/apr/25/rupert-murdoch-company-ngn-actively-frustrated-met-phone-hacking-investigation-will-lewis) that he was involved in an effort by NGN to “actively frustrate” a police inquiry into phone hacking. Lewis and NGN have strongly denied the allegations. A source close to Lewis said he “has been transparent about his personal relationship” with Johnson. An AP spokesperson said its board members provided oversight of AP’s executive leadership and had “no involvement” in its journalism. “Board directors hold a wide range of roles outside of AP,” they said. A Cabinet Office source said it was Johnson’s responsibility “to account for his meetings”. The former prime minister did not respond to a request for comment. Frequent visitor ---------------- It has previously been reported that Lewis [provided informal advice](https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/paralysed-in-no-10-are-the-pm-and-his-wife-ready-to-let-it-go-2kdcnrhss) to Johnson. The Guardian [reported last year](https://www.theguardian.com/media/article/2024/jun/19/will-lewis-washington-post-publisher-boris-johnson-partygate) that he allegedly advised Johnson to “clean up” phone data relating to the Covid-19 rule-breaking scandal known as Partygate. Under ministerial rules, Johnson would have been expected to disclose any meeting held with a senior media executive, but Lewis does not appear in public transparency records. The omission has meant that the extent of Lewis’s involvement in shaping Johnson’s response to a rolling series of scandals that would end his term as prime minister was unknown until now. According to the leaked minute-by-minute logs, Lewis was a frequent visitor at Downing Street and Chequers, the prime minister’s official countryside residence, as Johnson fought in vain to save his premiership in 2022. [](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/10/washington-post-boss-will-lewis-secret-adviser-boris-johnson-leak#img-3) Will Lewis speaking to Washington Post staff in November 2023 after becoming its publisher. Photograph: The Washington Post/Getty Images Lewis first appears in the logs on 2 February when he joined a call with Johnson and a Conservative political strategist. After four of Johnson’s senior aides [quit the next day](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/feb/03/boris-johnsons-policy-chief-quits-over-pms-scurrilous-savile-remark), Lewis joined several meetings in Downing Street on 4 February and he appears to have spent a part of the morning alone with the prime minister. At the time, Johnson was facing calls to resign amid dissent within his own party and a widening police investigation into lockdown-breaking parties. Johnson was able to withstand the pressure for several months longer, but in early July he became embroiled in a fresh scandal, sparking the [resignations of two](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/05/sajid-javid-and-rishi-sunak-quit-throwing-boris-johnsons-future-into-doubt) of his most senior ministers. The day after, on 6 July, Lewis joined the prime minister’s first meeting of the day along with Ross Kempsell, then a close ally and political fixer to Johnson. Lewis remained at the prime minister’s side that morning. In the logs, officials recorded that Johnson was “in office with [Will Lewis](https://www.theguardian.com/media/willlewis) (vice-chair of the Associated Press)” along with two loyal ministers. Lewis attended additional meetings in Downing Street during the day as [ministers quit](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/06/johnson-clings-on-amid-cabinet-standoff-and-dozens-of-resignations) Johnson’s government en masse. He was also with Johnson in the evening as the prime minister and his advisers tried to salvage his position. On 7 July, Lewis again joined Johnson’s first meeting of the day, according to the logs, hours before the prime minister [publicly announced](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/07/boris-johnson-resigns-as-conservative-leader-after-cabinet-revolt) he would resign. Lewis continued to advise Johnson in the following days as the government [faced a vote](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/18/boris-johnson-defends-record-as-government-faces-confidence-vote) of no confidence. He returned to Downing Street as Johnson prepared for his [final appearance](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jul/20/tory-mps-indulge-in-a-mawkish-farewell-for-their-poundshop-arnie) as prime minister in the House of Commons. For an hour on the morning of 20 July, officials noted, Johnson was engaged in “PMQs prep with Ross Kempsell and Will Lewis”. _Additional reporting by Stephanie Kirchgaessner_ Quick GuideShow  The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. **Secure Messaging in the Guardian app** The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it ([iOS](https://apps.apple.com/app/the-guardian-live-world-news/id409128287)/[Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.guardian)) and go to the menu. Select ‘Secure Messaging’. **SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post** If you can safely use the tor network without being observed or monitored you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our [SecureDrop platform](https://www.theguardian.com/securedrop). Finally, our guide at [theguardian.com/tips](https://www.theguardian.com/tips) lists several ways to contact us securely, and discusses the pros and cons of each. Illustration: Guardian Design / Rich Cousins Thank you for your feedback.

Boris Johnson’s Eton housemaster [warned](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jul/08/boris-johnson-yet-again-avoids-paying-price-cavalier-attitude-mustique-freebie-exoneration) that he thought himself “free of the network of obligation which binds everyone else”. Decades passed, and Mr Johnson remained cavalier about following the rules. Propriety, even as prime minister, was [disgracefully](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65917540) little more than performance. His post-office conduct suggests he still treats norms as optional. Leaked [documents](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/08/what-are-the-boris-johnson-files-former-prime-minister) from Mr Johnson’s private office, obtained by the transparency group [Distributed Denial of Secrets](https://ddosecrets.com/) and seen by the Guardian, raise grave questions about his adherence to standards – and whether public money has helped fund his post-premiership business empire. They centre on the [public duty costs allowance](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/09/call-to-halt-boris-johnson-allowance-after-boris-files-revelations) (PDCA), an allocation meant to support former prime ministers’ public duties, not their profit-making ventures. Mr Johnson has received £182,000 through the scheme since 2022. But the [documents](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/08/revealed-how-boris-johnson-traded-pm-contacts-for-global-business-deals) suggest his staff has been working not just on public roles but also on global private deals. Mr Johnson calls the allegations “rubbish”. Five other former prime ministers – Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May and Liz Truss – have [released](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/08/what-are-the-boris-johnson-files-former-prime-minister) statements saying they fully comply with rules prohibiting the use of public funds for private business. Rishi Sunak does not claim the allowance. Mr Johnson’s conduct appears to be an outlier. And not for the first time. This is not just a question of semantics. The ethics watchdog approved Mr Johnson’s 2024 work for a climate consultancy chasing [Saudi](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/08/boris-johnson-sought-business-with-saudi-officials-better-earth) funds – provided he did not lobby contacts from his time in office. But he’d already made the approach. At about the same time, his taxpayer-funded team was helping him pursue a billion-dollar deal from [Abu Dhabi](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/09/boris-johnson-secretly-lobbied-uae-business-venture-leak-suggests)’s sovereign wealth fund, courting an official he had hosted in No 10. There was no prior approval from the authorities. Mr Johnson didn’t wait for clearance. He was too busy attempting to cash in. One of the more startling revelations shows Mr Johnson was paid £240,000 by a hedge fund weeks after attending a meeting last March between its boss, Maarten Petermann, and the [Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/08/boris-johnson-nicolas-maduro-meeting-invoice) – a man Mr Johnson once denounced as a “dictator of an evil regime”. Mr Johnson secretly hosted Mr Petermann for a two-and-a-half-hour lunch at Chequers just 10 days before leaving office. It raises a serious question: was the outgoing prime minister using his final days, and the trappings of office, to lay the ground for future deals? Mr Johnson’s defenders say that he has broken no rules. But that, if true, is precisely the problem. Mr Brown is right to call for former prime ministers to have to make public declarations of their business interests, just as sitting MPs and peers must, and for a stronger code on business appointments. It’s worth thinking about extending the current two-year ban on exploiting past official contacts for private gain. The [National Audit Office](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/09/boris-johnson-under-pressure-to-explain-how-private-office-follows-funding-rules), which scrutinises the PDCA, should investigate Mr Johnson. This is no witch-hunt. It’s about restoring faith in the belief that the conventions of public life cannot be flouted with impunity. The historian Peter Hennessy once [called](https://www.ft.com/content/37a5b18a-77d0-4f17-ae0a-99802396ff36) Mr Johnson the greatest threat to Britain’s “good chap” model – a system built not on law but shared decency. That model is broken. What’s needed is real bite, not the toothless oversight committee that Labour [rightly scrapped](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jul/21/acoba-axed-post-ministerial-jobs-watchdog-next-to-useless-boris-johnson). The evidence points to high office used for gain. If not highly irregular, it is morally corrupt – and corrosive to public life.

Boris Johnson started the day with a jog. He had the kind of schedule that would be familiar to any occupant of Downing Street. From 8.44am, he talked with his aides, then chaired cabinet, ate lunch, prepped for prime minister’s questions, took a briefing on security threats, and got ready for an interview with one of Rupert Murdoch’s reporters. The entry for 5.48pm in the official log for Tuesday 26 April 2022 contains one of several privileged interactions that he would later seek to exploit for financial gain. Johnson was in his office, the log notes, “alone texting MBS”. Within two years, Johnson, by then out of office, would be trying to use the relationship he nurtured with Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman, widely known by his initials, as part of an intercontinental campaign of self-enrichment. Those widespread commercial activities, which raise questions about misuse of public funds and breaches of “revolving door” prohibitions on lobbying, have been exposed this week by the Guardian after a leak from Johnson’s private office. The crown prince, heir to a fossil-fuel fortune that makes his family among the richest that has ever lived, had established himself as the all-powerful ruler of Saudi Arabia, and a player on the global stage. Johnson had also spoken to Prince Mohammed on the phone for seven minutes shortly after 8pm the previous night, according to the logs seen by the Guardian. [](https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2025/sep/14/what-boris-johnson-did-next-files-pursuit-of-profit#img-2) Boris Johnson and Mohammed bin Salman before a meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in March 2022. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/AP They discussed international developments, the war in Ukraine and “cooperation between their countries and ways to develop it”. Six advisers had been with Johnson on that call. Now it was just him and the crown prince, texting. The moment captures the intimacy that can be shared by fellow holders of high office, two individuals with the power of nations at their disposal. Once their exchange was over, Johnson set off for an outing in the West End to catch Six the musical with his wife, Carrie. We do not know what the prime minister and the autocrat were messaging about, although Johnson has spoken fondly of a man he calls a “changemaker”. What we do now know is the contents of a letter addressed to Prince Mohammed that Johnson wrote two years later, in March 2024, after the collapse of his prime ministership. “I remain a fervent admirer of the vision you have for the kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” a draft of the letter reads. The text appears beneath the letterhead of the Office of Boris Johnson, the private office that is part-subsidised by the taxpayer. Johnson explains that he has taken up a business venture. “I would very much like to explore whether that company could be useful to you and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia in achieving your ambitions – because I believe it certainly could.” The letter is in a cache of leaked documents obtained by Distributed Denial of Secrets, a US non-profit that archives data leaks. The files shed new light on Johnson’s time in Downing Street, from secret meetings with tech and media executives to yet more details of possible Covid lockdown breaches. But the revelations about his commercial activity, and numerous apparent breaches of ethics rules, could prove most difficult for Johnson. They tally with an apparent disdain for the ethical norms of public life observed by some of those who have worked with him at close quarters. Max Hastings, his editor at the Daily Telegraph in the 1980s, has [alleged](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jun/24/boris-johnson-prime-minister-tory-party-britain) Johnson “cares for no interest save his own fame and gratification”. His supporters might point out he is not the first former prime minister to be criticised for the way he has sought to cash in after his time in office. It is perhaps telling that the others have also gone to the Gulf. **‘An unforgivable crime’** --------------------------- In his memoir, Unleashed, Johnson writes: “Tony Blair once told me that Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince, was ‘the hope of the region’, and I can see why.” The Saudi royal’s admirers call him a reformer. He is relaxing some of the most draconian restrictions on what women are permitted to do and opening the Islamic kingdom to outsiders. He has also proved a generous friend to veterans of Downing Street. The Tony Blair Institute receives Saudi funding and was awarded a [contract](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/07/21/tony-blair-advising-saudi-government-9-million-deal-country/?utm_source=chatgpt.com), reportedly worth about £8m, to support Prince Mohammed’s agenda. During David Cameron’s time as a hired lobbyist for the soon-to-be-disgraced Australian financier Lex Greensill, the pair went [camping](https://www.ft.com/content/e3cf4459-dd54-49c1-a777-276f8ae0d406) with Prince Mohammed in the Saudi desert. Both former PMs maintained their Saudi relationships after an incident in 2018 that, critics said, revealed the true face of the regime. Jamal Khashoggi, a dissident writer living in the US was lured to the Saudi embassy in Istanbul, murdered and dismembered. In 2021, US intelligence agencies [concluded](https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/Assessment-Saudi-Gov-Role-in-JK-Death-20210226v2.pdf) that Prince Mohammed “approved” the operation. Johnson, in private at least, appeared to have been fully aware of the gravity of the Khashoggi episode. In April 2023, a year on from the evening he sat texting the crown prince, Johnson was asked about Khashoggi’s assassination during a private event in North Carolina, according to a transcript in the leaked data. Johnson was by then out of Downing Street, but still an MP. He had already embarked on a global speaking tour that, the leaked files show, earned him more than £5m from 34 speeches, from Lagos to Singapore. He even provided the entertainment at a German businessman’s 50th birthday party. At the North Carolina event his view of the Khashoggi was unvarnished. “I think that, first of all, nobody should minimise what happened to Jamal Khashoggi. I hope you heard me say that loud and clear. I’ve raised it with MBS, as you’d expect.” The killing of the journalist, Johnson said, was “clearly an unforgivable crime”. Yet Johnson would soon be telling the crown prince of his “fervent” admiration. By the time Johnson resigned as an MP, he had already set up his private office. Like those of all former prime ministers, Johnson’s office can claim an allowance [from the taxpayer](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/11/more-than-8m-of-public-money-spent-on-subsidies-for-former-pms) of up to £115,000 a year. That money is strictly for use on public duties. The leaked files raise questions about whether funds, which are used to pay the salaries of staff in the offices of former PMs, were misused in pursuit of profit. Johnson’s office employs three staff. All three, the leaked data suggests, have been involved in commercial activity. It is perhaps unsurprising that Johnson would launch an intensive money-making operation. After the scandal over the Downing Street refurbishment (complete with “gold” wallpaper), one of Johnson’s No 10 aides was quoted as saying: “The bottom line is that he can’t afford to be prime minister.” For one thing, he has nine children to support, and remunerative projects, such as a long overdue [book on Shakespeare](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/feb/11/boris-johnson-shakespeare-book-delayed-again-political-diaries), sometimes fail to materialise. The leaked documents indicate that his part-time role at a company called Better Earth would be worth £120,000 a year as well as an initial 12.5% stake in the business. Founded by a Canadian mining investor, Better Earth’s shareholders include seven close associates and advisers to Johnson, including two former Conservative ministers and an aide he made a peer. It was for Better Earth that Johnson penned the overtures to the Saudi crown prince in March 2024. The pitch: to assist with the greening of the foremost petrostate. “Although I now live a life of blameless rustic obscurity in Oxfordshire,” Johnson wrote, “I remain deeply committed to carbon reduction.” It is not clear how the Saudis responded or how much money Johnson brought in. But this was not the only time he sought to trade on relationships nurtured in No 10. “As you know,” he wrote in a draft letter to seek business from another senior figure in the Gulf he knew from his Downing Street years, “a key part of my legacy as prime minister of the United Kingdom was coalescing world leaders around a series of concrete commitments at the Cop26 climate summit in 2021.” [](https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2025/sep/14/what-boris-johnson-did-next-files-pursuit-of-profit#img-3) Boris Johnson (back right) and Khaldoon al-Mubarak (front left) at the signing of agreements between the UAE and the UK in 2021. Photograph: Ministry of Presidential Affairs The files suggest Johnson and an aide had been offered stakes potentially worth millions in a “climate finance solutions” venture. Part of his job was to lobby the Abu Dhabi official who controls one of the emirate’s vast pots of oil wealth. Johnson’s partners in the firm, Bia Advisory, wanted more than $1bn of Abu Dhabi’s money to invest, the leaked files suggest. They did not respond to the Guardian’s questions about whether they got it. But the documents appear to confirm that Johnson lobbied the official, Khaldoon al-Mubarak, best known in the UK as chair of Manchester City. For the first two years after they leave office, former UK ministers are banned from using contacts gained in government for private benefit. However, Johnson had hosted Mubarak at least three times in Downing Street. Johnson also appears to have broken the same rule during his Saudi venture. The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) is the “revolving door” watchdog responsible for monitoring the post-government careers of ex-ministers. He sought Acoba clearance for his role at Better Earth, seemingly without disclosing the Saudi angle. Acoba granted it, but with conditions. Until he had been out of office for two years, Johnson “should not become personally involved in lobbying contacts you developed during your time in office in other governments” to seek business. According to the leaked files, he already had. No such restrictions on turning power into money constrain the sheikhs. “The Gulf is the one part of the world where kleptocracy is not just legal, but positively encouraged,” said Oliver Bullough, the author of Butler to the World, a book about how the UK serves the rich, powerful and corrupt. “It’s no wonder politicians flock there, though it would be nice if they didn’t.” **A meeting with Maduro** ------------------------- At first, when the Guardian contacted him to ask about the apparent misconduct revealed in the leaked files, Johnson was silent. After the first articles were published, senior politicians said the government should [suspend](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/09/call-to-halt-boris-johnson-allowance-after-boris-files-revelations) Johnson’s access to the public duty costs allowance (PDCA), the funding intended to support an ex-PM’s public duties. At that point, Johnson got in touch. “This story is rubbish,” he emailed. “The PDCA has been used entirely in accordance with the rules.” He added: “The Guardian should change its name to Pravda.” But it is Johnson’s truthfulness that is, not for the first time, under scrutiny. On 18 March 2024, the leaked files show, Johnson was sent a letter from Acoba officials. Newspapers had revealed that a hedge fund manager took Johnson with him to Caracas to meet Nicolás Maduro, the head of a Venezuelan regime notorious for corruption and brutalising opponents. The Acoba officials wanted to know whether this might have breached their rules. [ Almost £10m of public money spent on subsidies for former PMs ](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/11/more-than-8m-of-public-money-spent-on-subsidies-for-former-pms) “The meeting was unpaid,” Johnson told them in his reply. That seems to be contradicted by documents in the leaked files. One is a contract with Merlyn, the hedge fund on whose behalf Johnson met with Maduro – a leader he had once likened to a “dictator of an evil regime”. Another records Johnson’s office sending Merlyn an invoice, weeks before his letter to Acoba, for £240,000. Rules such as Acoba’s have evolved as part of a system designed to preserve public faith that their elected representatives are acting in the common interest rather than their own. Sue Hawley of Spotlight on Corruption, a non-profit, says: “If you have people at the top of government displaying the sense that they don’t have to live by the rules ordinary people have to live by, that percolates down.” A recent [study](https://www.oecd.org/content/dam/oecd/en/publications/reports/2024/07/oecd-survey-on-drivers-of-trust-in-public-institutions-2024-results_eeb36452/9a20554b-en.pdf) by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development asked: “If a politician was offered a well-paid job in the private sector in exchange for a political favour, how likely do you think it is that they would refuse it?” Unlikely, said two-thirds of Britons, the highest rate of any of the 30 rich countries surveyed. Hawley quotes an old proverb: “The fish rots from the head.” Quick GuideShow  The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact our investigations team confidentially using the following methods. **Secure Messaging in the Guardian app** The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it ([iOS](https://apps.apple.com/app/the-guardian-live-world-news/id409128287)/[Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.guardian)) and go to the app menu. Pick ‘Secure Messaging’, follow the instructions to compose your message and select ‘UK Investigations Team’ as the recipient. **SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post** If you can safely use the tor network without being observed or monitored you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our [SecureDrop platform](https://www.theguardian.com/securedrop). Finally, our guide at [theguardian.com/tips](https://www.theguardian.com/tips) lists several ways to contact us securely, and discusses the pros and cons of each. Illustration: Guardian Design / Rich Cousins Thank you for your feedback.

As he boarded the night train to Ukraine, [Boris Johnson](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/boris-johnson) had the usual entourage of aides and bodyguards – plus the man who had given him £1m. Less than a year had passed since Johnson accepted what is thought to be the largest donation ever to an individual MP. It was from Christopher Harborne, one of the UK’s biggest and most private political donors. Harborne, whose millions helped bankroll Brexit, made the payment to a private company Johnson set up after resigning as prime minister. Now leaked files show that Johnson, a champion of [Ukraine](https://www.theguardian.com/world/ukraine) in office and since, was accompanied in September 2023 by his benefactor on a two-day visit that included meetings with top officials. What the files do not explain is why. And neither the former prime minister nor his backer will say. The organisers of the high-level gathering they attended in Kyiv say Harborne was registered as “adviser, Office of Boris Johnson”. Harborne has wide expertise: a self-described “digital nomad”, his [holdings](https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-harborne-80594223/?originalSubdomain=th) range from cryptocurrency and a wellness centre to jet fuel and stakes in at least three military contractors. His only apparent connection to Ukraine is as the biggest shareholder in a British weapons manufacturer whose robots and drones are reportedly supplied to its armed forces. The [Boris Files](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/series/the-boris-files), leaked documents from Johnson’s private office, have exposed how the former PM has sought to enrich himself since leaving office by sitting down with a [Venezuelan despot](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/08/boris-johnson-nicolas-maduro-meeting-invoice) and courting Mohammed bin Salman, the [Saudi crown prince](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/08/boris-johnson-sought-business-with-saudi-officials-better-earth) accused of ordering the murder of a journalist. The Ukrainian cause, by contrast, is “sacred” to Johnson, one political consultant says, an enduring source of moral authority for a politician who was forced out of Downing Street amid scandal. The leaked files raise questions about whether, even here, he has blurred the lines between public service and money-making. [](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/oct/10/the-1m-man-why-did-boris-johnson-take-his-donor-to-ukraine#img-2) Boris Johnson (front left) and Volodymyr Zelenskyy (centre) during Johnson and Harborne’s trip in September 2023. Photograph: Sergey Illin/Victor Pinchuk Foundation©2023 In an extraordinary statement to the Guardian when asked about his relationship with Harborne, Johnson said: “Your pathetic non-stories … seem mostly to be derived from some illegal Russian hack job. You should be ashamed of yourselves.” [Distributed Denial of Secrets](https://ddosecrets.com/) (DDoS), the US-based transparency group that obtained the leaked files, said it did not know their provenance. Johnson added: “Why don’t you just change your name to Pravda? Your stories are rubbish and you are doing Putin’s work.” ‘Boris and Chris only’ ---------------------- In Downing Street, Johnson rallied western powers as Vladimir Putin’s armies poured into Ukraine in February 2022. Since resigning, he has continued to travel there, pledging to maintain allies’ commitment, and remains so popular that he is cheered in the streets. When he disembarked from the night train in Kyiv on 8 September 2023, Johnson had time for a quick shower at his hotel before heading for the Yalta European Strategy (YES) forum, an itinerary in the leaked files indicates. According to a published list of participants, Ukrainian ministers, spymasters and military chiefs mingled with foreign diplomats, politicians, industrialists and executives. The itinerary has “Boris and Chris \[Harborne\] only” down to attend the opening session of the high-level gathering. Images show [Volodymyr Zelenskyy](https://www.theguardian.com/world/volodymyr-zelenskiy) and Johnson addressed the gathered luminaries and the itinerary suggests they then retired for a private meeting. Zelenskyy’s office did not respond when asked if Johnson’s benefactor joined them. Quick GuideShow  If you have something to share on this subject you can contact Tom using one of the following methods. **Email (not secure)** If you don't need a high level of security or confidentiality you can email [email protected]. **Secure Messaging in the Guardian app** The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it ([iOS](https://apps.apple.com/app/the-guardian-live-world-news/id409128287)/[Android](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.guardian)) and go to the menu. Select ‘Secure Messaging’. To send a message to Tom please choose the ‘UK Investigations’ team. **SecureDrop and other secure methods** If you can safely use the tor network without being observed or monitored you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our [SecureDrop platform](https://www.theguardian.com/securedrop). Finally, our guide at [theguardian.com/tips](https://www.theguardian.com/tips) lists several ways to contact us securely, and discusses the pros and cons of each. Illustration: Guardian Design / Rich Cousins Thank you for your feedback. Afterwards, Zelenskyy [posted](https://t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official/7718) a picture of himself with Johnson. “From the first hours of the full-scale war, Boris Johnson sincerely supports Ukraine and helps defend against Russian aggression,” Zelenskyy wrote. “And now continues to add international support to Ukraine. Thank you for your energy, friend!” Johnson’s itinerary says he had further meetings scheduled that day with Zelenskyy’s foreign minister, who said he could not recall whether Harborne attended, and the oligarch who runs the forum. The next day Johnson headed west to Lviv to lay flowers at war graves, visit the wounded and receive an honorary degree. [Footage](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otRYQLCLNE4) shows Harborne standing nearby as Johnson greets troops. A [photograph](https://1256.cx.ua/analitika/shho-robiv-u-lvovi-boris-dzhonson-foto-video/) shows a meeting with another senior Ukrainian official, Lviv’s mayor, Andriy Sadovyy. Harborne looks on while Johnson holds court. [](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/oct/10/the-1m-man-why-did-boris-johnson-take-his-donor-to-ukraine#img-3) Boris Johnson (centre) meeting Lviv’s mayor (1st to his left) in September 2023 with Christopher Harborne (2nd to his right). Photograph: City of Lviv The £1m donation ---------------- In a recent court filing against the Wall Street Journal, Harborne calls himself an “intensely private person”. Although he has lived in Thailand for more than 20 years, holds a Thai passport and sometimes goes by a Thai name, Harborne has put considerable money into British politics. [skip past newsletter promotion](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/oct/10/the-1m-man-why-did-boris-johnson-take-his-donor-to-ukraine#EmailSignup-skip-link-25) Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it matters **Privacy Notice:** Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on [theguardian.com](https://www.theguardian.com/) to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our [Privacy Policy](https://www.theguardian.com/help/privacy-policy). We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google [Privacy Policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy) and [Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms) apply. after newsletter promotion He has given £10m to Nigel Farage’s Brexit party – now Reform UK – and £1m to the Conservatives while Johnson was completing the UK’s departure from the EU. And Johnson seems to have nurtured the beneficial relationship while he was in No 10. Harborne visited Chequers at least twice during Johnon’s premiership. Once, he arrived at the prime ministerial retreat by helicopter. The second time was for a Tory megadonor barbecue in August 2022. Within days, Johnson’s tenure was over, but his relationship with Harborne endured, and the £1m personal donation followed. A copy of the financial advice Johnson received soon after leaving Downing Street raises questions about it. [](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/oct/10/the-1m-man-why-did-boris-johnson-take-his-donor-to-ukraine#img-4) Volodymyr Zelenskyy: “Thank you for your energy, friend!” Photograph: Volodymyr Zelenskyy/Telegram While Johnson was still an MP he set up a private company, The Office of Boris Johnson Ltd. The financial advice reveals that he was expecting a “payment to fund the company’s first few years”. He was advised to consider whether this would represent a political donation or if it “might be simpler for the company to invoice the donor’s company for services”. The following month, in November 2022, Johnson’s entry in the register of MPs’ interests records a £1m donation to his company from Harborne. The payment does not appear on the Electoral Commission’s donation database of money “given towards the recipient’s political activities” as an MP. This appears to suggest it may have been a contribution towards Johnson’s money-making activities. [ The lucrative secrets of Boris Johnson – podcast ](https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2025/sep/12/the-lucrative-secrets-of-boris-johnson-podcast) The month of the £1m payment, Johnson and Harborne dined together twice in Singapore. A January 2023 entry in Johnson’s schedule set aside half an hour for a call with his backer. It was labelled “Ukraine readout”. That September, by which time Johnson had quit parliament, he and Harborne stepped aboard a Dassault Falcon at Stansted airport, the leaked files indicate. The private jet, apparently operated by Harborne, carried them to eastern Poland to catch the sleeper to Kyiv. Harborne’s lawyers said: “Mr Harborne’s donation was given to enable Mr Johnson to stay actively engaged in mainstream UK politics. It is and was a donation, and its reporting as such is appropriate.” They added: “Mr Harborne had and has no expectation of personal gain whatsoever. Any suggestion otherwise is completely without evidence and materially and knowingly false.” The letter ---------- Harborne’s lawyers did not give substantive answers to questions about why he went on the trip to Ukraine, beyond saying they “appear to have little to no basis in reality”. But there are possible clues in the leaked files. The itinerary features a “closed meeting at the military-tech R&D centre”. It does not say whether Harborne attended, but this is an area he knows well. While his position as the largest shareholder in QinetiQ, with 13%, does not give him a role in the day-to-day running of the privatised research unit of the UK armed forces, his financial stake in its operations is significant. QinetiQ has interests in Ukraine, albeit not its biggest. Ukraine’s forces reportedly use the company’s Banshee drones and bomb-disposal robots. In April 2025, the UK Ministry of Defence [announced QinetiQ would help Ukraine’s military](https://www.babcockinternational.com/news/babcock-awarded-uk-mod-contract-to-provide-innovative-support-to-ukraine/) make kit with 3D printers. Johnson refers to the trip in one of the Boris Files’ more mysterious documents. Dated 23 October 2023, the month after the visit, it is a letter carrying his signature. “I write in support of Christopher Harborne,” Johnson writes. “He is both a friend and a supporter of my office … He came with me on a recent trip to Ukraine and I know him to be a passionate opponent of the Putin regime.” Johnson states in the letter that he is “aware of no suggestion or evidence whatsoever that Christopher is in any way supportive of the Russian government, or has links to Russia commercial or otherwise”. There is nothing to indicate why anyone might think otherwise. No such connections have emerged and Harborne’s lawyers say none exist. The lawyers would not say who the letter, addressed only to “Dear Sirs”, was written for. “Mr Johnson provided a character reference for Mr Harborne in response to attacks on Mr Harborne’s character,” they said. “Mr Harborne is grateful to Mr Johnson.”