Boris Johnson breached rules by being ‘evasive’ over links to hedge fund, says watchdog
Former prime minister Boris Johnson has breached government rules by being “evasive” about his links to a hedge fund that set up a meeting between him and the president of Venezuela, a watchdog has said.
Mr Johnson raised a few eyebrows earlier this year after his spokesman confirmed he had flown to the country to meet its controversial leader Nicolas Maduro.
But now, the chairman of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) Lord Pickles, has highlighted further controversary around the meeting which was arranged by a company called Merlyn Advisors – a hedge fund.
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Under government rules, any minister leaving office must run new jobs or appointments by the Acoba watchdog before taking them up.
But Lord Pickles said despite “repeatedly” being asked to “clarify his relationship” with the firm, Mr Johnson had “not done so”, nor had he “denied the reports in the media that he had been working with Merlyn Advisors on a non-contractual basis”.
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An exchange of letters between the chairman and the former leader has now been published online, with Lord Pickles first asking about his dealings with the firm on 18 March, saying Mr Johnson had “indicated that [he] would not be taking up a role at Merlyn Advisors” in October 2023.
Two days later, his office replied, saying: “I can confirm that Mr Johnson did not take up the role with Merlyn Advisors and he has no contractual relationship with the company.”
But Lord Pickles responded, saying he had “failed to address the question posed to you on your precise relationship with Merlyn Advisors”.
A further response from Mr Johnson insisted he was “not paid for any meetings in Venezuela” and “all Acoba rules have been followed”, but the chair wrote back to say his relationship with the company “remains ambiguous”, with another list of questions.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro met with Boris Johnson in February. Pic: Reuters
On 9 April, Mr Johnson again replied, saying he “believed it was clearly not necessary to consult or seek Acoba advice” ahead of his meeting with President Maduro, and claimed the watchdog was “fully aware of all my current contracts and employment obligations”.
But Lord Pickles took issue with his words, and said Mr Johnson’s responses had “lacked candour”, adding: “Given the evasive nature of your replies, your failure to answer specific questions put to you, or provide the context of your relationship with Merlyn Advisors, the committee has formed the view that there has been a breach of the government’s business appointment rules.”
According to the Institute for Government, while Acoba can publicly say when a former minister has breached the rules, it has no power to enforce sanctions, and it is left to the government of the day to decide on any action to be taken.
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The government committed to toughening up the rules last July and suggested changes would allow it to “explore further sanctions, such as financial penalties” when rules were broken – but these sanctions would be decided by the Cabinet Office, rather than Acoba, and have yet to come into force.
Sky News contacted Mr Johnson’s spokesperson about the claims, but they declined to comment.
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
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What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
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In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
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