BORIS Johnson has received £2.5 million as an advance for speeches, meaning he has received hospitality, donations and earnings amounting to more than £5m in the past six months, The Guardian reports.
The former prime minister has toured the global speaking circuit since being forced to resign, addressing investors in the technology behind cryptocurrency as well as insurers and investment bankers.
He has also taken more than £500,000 as an advance for a memoir while remaining in his job as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip.
The newspaper also reports that the former PM has accepted a donation of more than £1m from Christopher Harborne, an investor in crypto and aviation fuel based in Thailand who previously donated £6m to the Brexit Party.
Johnson’s latest disclosure shows him accepting £2,488,387.53 as an advance for future speaking engagements arranged through the Harry Walker Agency in New York.
The donation from Harborne was used for the running of his office. The Office of Boris Johnson Ltd was established in October last year.
Companies House records show its sole original director was Johnson’s long-time aide Shelley Williams-Walker.
She has since been replaced by Ann Sindall, another close ally of the former PM, who was his secretary when he was editor of the Spectator magazine and went on to work with him when he was the mayor of London.
Johnson also declared the free use of a VIP suite at Heathrow and Gatwick airports numerous times since August.
He was last year given permission for the speaking engagements through the Harry Walker Agency from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments although The Guardian suggests Johnson did not appear to stick to its rule that he should wait for three months after leaving office before taking up paid employment.
It was previously suggested the first engagement in September was a one-off.
Johnson previously broke the committee’s rules when he failed to declare a column from the Daily Telegraph after leaving office as foreign secretary.
