What are the Boris Files and what do they reveal about former PM's conduct?

"The Boris Files are a trove of leaked data from the office of Boris Johnson, the former prime minister's private office. The data shines a spotlight on Johnson's commercial interests since he left Downing Street in September 2022. It reveals how the former Conservative leader is using the relationships he forged in the UK's highest elected office to facilitate his personal enrichment."

"He appears to be doing so via his private office, which is subsidised by the public. It raises a number of serious questions for the ex-PM. Has he broken revolving door rules that restrict post-ministerial jobs? Did he breach the ministerial code? Has he been misusing public funds for private gain? The leak also contains documents from Johnson's time in office, raising questions about secret, undeclared meetings and potential breaches of Covid lockdown rules during the pandemic."

"The Office of Boris Johnson is a limited company that takes advantage of a scheme that allows former prime ministers to claim a six-figure sum in annual expenses from the Cabinet Office. The money is for administrative and secretarial costs arising from their special position in public life. As leaks go, this one is relatively small: approximately 2GB of data, or 1,820 files. It includes emails, letters, invoices, spreadsheets, speeches and business contracts."

Leaked files from Boris Johnson's private office reveal commercial activities pursued after leaving Downing Street in September 2022. The documents show attempts to leverage relationships formed in the premiership to secure personal enrichment through a publicly subsidised private office. The material raises questions about potential breaches of revolving door rules, the ministerial code, and the misuse of public funds. The trove includes approximately 2GB — about 1,820 files — consisting of emails, letters, invoices, spreadsheets, speeches and contracts, mostly postdating September 2022 but including some Downing Street-era documents. The data was obtained by Distributed Denial of Secrets. Only one UK media outlet is known to have viewed and published stories from the leak.

Read at www.theguardian.com