‘Egregious’ police surveillance was sanctioned by government department, mother of Stephen Lawrence tells inquiry

‘Egregious’ police surveillance was sanctioned by government department, mother of Stephen Lawrence tells inquiry

Trial of Nick Gratwick, 68, who schemed to rape children as young as six, exposes previous role among green protesters

The high court told the company linked to Michelle Mone to pay up over the supply of defective gowns, but there appears no clear route to reclaim the funds

Exclusive: Six tech leaders dined with investment minister, documents reveal, underlining growing influence of ex-PM’s consultancy Tony Blair and Nick Clegg hosted a private dinner earlier this year at which a select group of technology entrepreneurs were given access to a key minister, official documents have revealed. The former prime minister, who is a champion of the tech industry, held the dinner in an upmarket London hotel in his capacity as the head of the Tony Blair Institute (TBI) political consultancy. Continue reading...

Trial of Nick Gratwick, 68, who schemed to rape children as young as six, exposes previous role among green protesters

Trial of Nick Gratwick, 68, who schemed to rape children as young as six, exposes previous role among green protesters

Exclusive: Leak exposes how former leader has used publicly subsidised office to manage commercial interests

Apparent meeting with David Brownlow is one of several potential further lockdown breaches revealed in Boris Files

Former PM’s private office forwarded business proposal from peer to owner of X in June 2024, leaked files suggest

Former prime minister courted senior Abu Dhabi official he had hosted in No 10 in apparent breach of rules

Extensive meetings in 2022 between Lewis, then vice-chair of AP, and Johnson were not disclosed in transparency records

Office is part-funded by public duty costs allowance, which should only be used to support public work of former PMs Boris Johnson is under mounting pressure to explain how his private office complies with rules over taxpayer subsidies after further revelations about how his staff appear to be overseeing his global commercial operations. A leak of data from the Office of Boris Johnson appears to show all three of his staff helping Johnson’s business and profit-making ventures. Secretly lobbied the UAE for a billion-dollar private venture in a potential breach of ethics rules. His work as a “principal adviser” for Bia Advisory, a “climate finance solutions” firm seeking backing from Abu Dhabi’s $300bn investment fund, involved courting a top Emirati official Johnson hosted in No 10 when he was prime minister. Approached Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, on behalf of Evgeny Lebedev. The Evening Standard owner, whom Johnson made a peer, was seeking a business relationship between his newspaper and Musk, who bankrolled Donald Trump’s ascent to the White House. Secured contracts with a combined total of more than £850,000 in separate deals with GB News and Associated Newspapers, the owner of the Daily Mail. GB News suggested some of the information was incorrect but confirmed an ongoing arrangement with Johnson. Earned more than £5m from less than two years of paid speeches, for some of which he charged $350,000 (£259,000). The 34 speeches include a conference leadership in Delhi, a blockchain symposium in Singapore and a bizarre turn as the headline act at the 50th birthday party of a German pharmaceuticals company boss. Continue reading...

Extensive meetings in 2022 between Lewis, then vice-chair of AP, and Johnson were not disclosed in transparency records The publisher of the Washington Post, Will Lewis, is facing fresh questions over his independence after a cache of leaked files revealed he gave extensive support to Boris Johnson as a secret political adviser when Johnson was prime minister. The files shed light on how the media executive, who at the time was vice-chair of the Associated Press news agency, worked behind the scenes with Johnson as his premiership was engulfed by a series of scandals. Continue reading...

Johnson’s office sent invoice to hedge fund manager, which was paid, weeks after meeting Venezuelan leader last year

Labour and Lib Dems call on Reform leader to say whether he gave partner money to buy £885,000 property Labour and the Liberal Democrats have called for Nigel Farage to clarify whether he saved tax on a house in his constituency, after a BBC investigation questioned whether his partner did, as Farage has said, buy the home with her own money. The Guardian first reported in May that the house in Clacton, which Farage initially said he had bought himself, is in fact wholly owned by Laure Ferrari, his long-term partner. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Home secretary ‘breaching duty to court’ by making claims about reason for group’s ban that she has not disclosed in legal case

59-year-old from Great Harwood bailed after ‘first of many’ expected arrests for alleged malicious communications A man has been arrested in Lancashire after racist and abusive messages were sent online to the England defender Jess Carter during the women’s Euros in July. The UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) launched an investigation after receiving a report that the messages had been sent on social media. Officers worked in partnership with social media companies to identify the people responsible. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Richard Dannatt may have broken lobbying rules and claimed assistance was ‘in the UK national interest’

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Exclusive: Richard Dannatt may have broken lobbying rules and claimed assistance was ‘in the UK national interest’ A member of the House of Lords asked a senior British diplomat to help a Ghanaian goldmining venture in which he held shares, claiming that it was “in the UK national interest”, the Guardian can disclose. The revelation will add to concerns about apparent breaches of parliamentary lobbying rules by Richard Dannatt, a former head of the British army. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Richard Dannatt may have broken lobbying rules and claimed assistance was ‘in the UK national interest’