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Boris Johnson had cousin act as ‘guarantor for an £800,000 credit facility’ while PM

15 Jan 2023 3 minute read
Boris Johnson. Picture by Kuhlmann /MSC (CC BY 3.0 DE).

Boris Johnson used a distant millionaire relative to act as a guarantor for an £800,000 credit facility while he was in Downing Street, according to a report.

A spokesman for the former Conservative leader, when asked about the report, said all of Mr Johnson’s finances “are and were properly declared”.

He said advice was sought from UK Government officials and ethics advisers before any personal arrangements were made.

According to The Sunday Times, Canadian businessman Sam Blyth, reportedly worth 50 million dollars, agreed to act as a guarantor for a credit facility for the-then prime minister.

According to the report, Mr Blyth is a friend of Mr Johnson’s father, Stanley Johnson. Their mothers were said to be cousins.

The credit was said to be available from February 2021 to help with Mr Johnson’s “day-to-day expenses”.

Mr Johnson’s spokesman stressed that he “did not take a loan from Sam Blyth”.

Tax bill

The newspaper said he needed the financial provision despite earning £164,000 as prime minister, with an anonymous source cited as saying Mr Johnson was on the verge of “going broke” and there were fears that he “would not be able to pay his own annual tax bill”.

Before entering Downing Street, he was being paid £275,000 a year for writing a weekly column for The Daily Telegraph — money that dried up upon entering No 10.

Mr Johnson and his wife Carrie are also said to have used a Dominican Republic property owned by Mr Blyth, suggesting it was where he was holidaying when Liz Truss, his successor, was ousted from Downing Street.

Mr Blyth reportedly advertises the Caribbean holiday villa at £4,100 per night.

The Sunday Times said using Mr Blyth as a guarantor was signed off by the Cabinet Office propriety and ethics team on the condition that there was “no conflict of interest, no risk of a conflict of interest, and no risk even of the perception of such a conflict”.

The report said Mr Blyth was considered, between late 2020 and early 2021 – when the guarantor arrangements were being put into place – for a position as chief executive of the British Council, a non-departmental public body.

A spokesman for Mr Johnson said the Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP neither assisted with nor was aware of Mr Blyth being considered for the British Council role.

Unaware

The report said Cabinet Secretary Simon Case and then-independent ethics adviser to the prime minister Lord Geidt were also unaware.

The council ended up deciding against hiring Mr Blyth, The Sunday Times said.

In a statement, Mr Johnson’s spokesman said: “It is completely untrue that Boris Johnson in any way assisted with, or was even aware of, any application by Sam Blyth – formal or informal – to serve in any position whatever with the British Council, and neither was anybody in No 10 who was acting on his behalf.

“As far as he is aware no-one in No 10 either knew about this alleged application or did anything to advance it.”

The spokesman added: “All Boris Johnson’s financial interests are and were properly declared.

“Boris Johnson sought advice from the Cabinet Secretary, the independent adviser on ministerial interests, and the propriety and ethics team.

“He followed their advice in full, as the Cabinet Office has confirmed.”


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Aled Rees
Aled Rees
1 year ago

This clown is permanantly in the sh-t it’s just the depth that varies.

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 year ago

“Alex, gosh I’ve not heard from you since prep-school,” … “ah! I see”…

hdavies15
hdavies15
1 year ago

This is a new concept of “poverty” – an inability to make end meet on £164k p.a. + lavish expenses, free home etc etc. Yet oddly enough he can’t muster any understanding of the circumstances of those people whose income is roughly 10% or less of that with no freebies thrown in. Absolute cuuunt of a bloke!

marc
marc
1 year ago

£800,000 for ‘day to day’ living expenses? Well to be fair a Louis Roederer Cristal 2002 Methuselah is nearly £8000 a pop

Steve Woods
Steve Woods
1 year ago

Never trust a man who combs his hair with a balloon.

Nobby Tart
Nobby Tart
1 year ago

Maybe if he learned to keep it in his pants, he wouldn’t need so much money to pay for children and ex-wives.

Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 year ago

Winners and the odd loser in the Tory get rich quick scramble…Nahdim Zahawi and Lady Knickers…

Dai Ponty
Dai Ponty
1 year ago

Tories as well as being vile pieces of POOO they are corrupt and rotten to the core

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