Boris Johnson ‘refused to be open’ with watchdog about hedge fund role

Boris Johnson was “evasive”, “avoided answering specific questions” and has “refused to be open” about his relationship with a hedge fund on whose behalf he met the Venezuelan president, a Whitehall watchdog has said.

Pickles told Dowden that the rules on post-ministerial roles “no longer have relevance in the modern world and are unenforceable”, calling on the government to make them “fit for purpose”.

He suggested new rules “would speed up assessment, remove unnecessary burdens on applicants and ensure that those who commit the most egregious breaches face up to the consequences of their actions”.

Correspondence published by Acoba reveals that Johnson sought advice from the committee in September 2023 regarding the role with the hedge fund to work as an independent contractor, providing “perspectives and insights to a range of the company’s domestic and international stakeholders”.

After the Sunday Times reported details of Johnson’s role as a consultant to Merlyn Advisors in March, civil servants working for Acoba sent him questions to answer.

They asked him if the media reports of his meeting were accurate, what his relationship with Merlyn Advisors was, what work he had carried out for them, and the capacity in which he met Maduro.