Leaked documents appear to show Johnson used political contacts in commercial approach to crown prince
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, 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 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.
