Leaked files show public funds may have supported private deals. This corrodes public life. The National Audit Office should investigate
B
oris Johnson’s Eton housemaster warned that he thought himself “free of the network of obligation which binds everyone else”. Decades passed, and Mr Johnson remained cavalier about following the rules. Propriety, even as prime minister, was disgracefully little more than performance. His post-office conduct suggests he still treats norms as optional.
Leaked documents from Mr Johnson’s private office, obtained by the transparency group Distributed Denial of Secrets and seen by the Guardian, raise grave questions about his adherence to standards – and whether public money has helped fund his post-premiership business empire. They centre on the public duty costs allowance (PDCA), an allocation meant to support former prime ministers’ public duties, not their profit-making ventures. Mr Johnson has received £182,000 through the scheme since 2022. But the documents suggest his staff has been working not just on public roles but also on global private deals. Mr Johnson calls the allegations “rubbish”.
Five other former prime ministers – Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Cameron, Theresa May and Liz Truss – have released statements saying they fully comply with rules prohibiting the use of public funds for private business. Rishi Sunak does not claim the allowance. Mr Johnson’s conduct appears to be an outlier. And not for the first time.
