TIMES.KY

Cayman Islands, Caribbeanand International News
Friday, Oct 11, 2024

Canadian businessman Sam Blyth agreed to act as a guarantor for a credit facility for the-then prime minister

Canadian businessman Sam Blyth agreed to act as a guarantor for a credit facility for the-then prime minister

Boris Johnson’s Cousin Was ‘Guarantor for an £800,000 Credit Facility’
Boris Johnson used a distant millionaire relative to act as a guarantor for an £800,000 credit facility while he was in Downing Street, according to a report.

Canadian businessman Sam Blyth agreed to guarantee the huge credit facility for his distant cousin in December 2020 before it was taken out in February 2021, a newspaper report claims.

Mr Blyth was considered, between late 2020 and early 2021 – when the guarantor arrangements were being put into place – for a position as chief executive of the British Council, a non-departmental public body, the Sunday Times states.

One source told the paper Mr Johnson had been close to “going broke”, and the line of credit was said to have been made available for his living costs, including divorce payments.

The Cabinet Office’s propriety and ethics team approved the arrangement in December 2020 after Mr Johnson asked for the advice of cabinet secretary Simon Case, the report added.

The latest revelations come after the Independent revealed a bitter split among warring Conservatives over whether Mr Johnson should be restored as leader of the party given his history of scandals, and if so how. It was just a few months after the credit arrangement was made that a row broke out about the lavish refurbishment of the flat above No 11 Downing Street by Mr Johnson and his partner.

Mr Case and Cabinet Office officials are said to have been unaware of Mr Blyth’s application for the quango, having been assured that there were no conflicts of interest.

Mr Blyth, reportedly worth $50 million, is said to be a friend of Mr Johnson’s father, Stanley Johnson with their mothers said to be cousins.

A spokesman for the former PM said: “Boris Johnson did not in any way assist with, and was unaware of, any application by Sam Blyth, formal or informal, to serve in any position whatever with the British Council, and neither was anybody in No 10 who was acting on his behalf.”

They added: “As far as he is aware no one in No 10 either knew about this alleged application or did anything to advance it.”

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Mr Blyth. He told the Sunday Times: “I am aware of the statement Boris Johnson is making and can confirm the accuracy of his account.”

A Cabinet Office spokesman told The Independent: “Advice was sought, proper process was followed and appropriate safeguards put in place. All ministers are expected to follow the rules as set out in the ministerial code in terms of making declarations and seeking advice as necessary.”

The former PM’s wife Carrie Johnson reportedly made free use of Mr Blyth’s villa in the Dominican Republic in early 2022, before Mr Johnson and the whole family holidayed there in October.

Mr Johnson has argued that use of the Dominican Republic villa did not need to be registered because its free use came from a family member providing a personal benefit.

It comes as reports suggest Mr Johnson – who currently represents the marginal Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency – could be planning to seek a “deal” with Rishi Sunak.

The former PM – hit by claims he joked about an “unsocially distance” party at No 10 during Covid curbs – is said to be willing to back off from a leadership push against his rival in exchange for a safer seat at the next general election.

But Mr Sunak dismissed the idea, telling broadcasters during a visit to Scotland: “I think the former prime minister has declared his intention to stand in his current seat in Uxbridge.”

And a spokesperson for Mr Johnson also rejected the suggestion he could be seeking a different seat, saying: “This is untrue. Boris Johnson is fully supporting the government and is standing in Uxbridge and South Ruislip at the next election.”

Mr Sunak also defended the system for declaring MPs’ donations but did not offer any comment after Mr Johnson received £1m from a Tory donor.

The huge donation ever received by a MP came from Christopher Harborne, Brexiteer and crypto investor based in Thailand. “In general, we have procedures in place to make sure all donations are declared transparently, which I’m sure is the case here,” PM said.

Meanwhile, The Independent has revealed that a split has emerged among Tory supporters of Mr Johnson over how best to put him back in power.

Lord Cruddas, who is leading the Conservative Democratic Organisation group’s push to transfer more power to grassroots members, accused MPs of trying to hoard power.

Tory MP James Duddridge, who said Mr Johnson was “still in play”, added: “The constitution of the party is really quite complex. It is not the answer to our problems”. Another MP called the CDO push “b*****ks”.

But Lord Cruddas said: “It’s not a surprise to hear some MPs don’t want to change the rules, because they hold the balance of power.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

TIMES.KY
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
BBC Personalities Rebuke Accusations Amidst Scandal Involving Teen Exploitation
A Swift Disappointment: Why Is Taylor Swift Bypassing Canada on Her Global Tour?
Historic Moment: Edgars Rinkevics, EU's First Openly Gay Head of State, Takes Office as Latvia's President
Bye bye democracy, human rights, freedom: French Cops Can Now Secretly Activate Phone Cameras, Microphones And GPS To Spy On Citizens
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
Unilever Plummets in a $2.5 Billion Free Fall, to begin with: A Reckoning for Misuse of Corporate Power Against National Interest
Beyond the Blame Game: The Need for Nuanced Perspectives on America's Complex Reality
Twitter Targets Meta: A Tangle of Trade Secrets and Copycat Culture
The Double-Edged Sword of AI: AI is linked to layoffs in industry that created it
US Sanctions on China's Chip Industry Backfire, Prompting Self-Inflicted Blowback
Meta Copy Twitter with New App, Threads
The New French Revolution
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
×