‘Evasive’ Johnson broke rules over Venezuela talks

Boris Johnson broke government rules by being “evasive” about a meeting with the Venezuelan president, the committee that vets ex-ministers’ work has said.

The former PM had failed to clarify his relationship with a hedge fund that set up the talks, the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) said.

He met President Maduro in February, reportedly with a founder of the firm.

Under the rules, ex-ministers must not take new jobs for two years after leaving office without Acoba’s advice.

Mr Johnson left Downing Street in September 2022. The committee can issue public rebukes of former government ministers but has no powers to enforce its recommendations or punish them.

Acoba has reported the breach to Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden, who is in charge of the Cabinet Office which oversees the machinery of government.

A spokesman for Mr Johnson declined to comment.

It is not the first time the former prime minister has fallen foul of Acoba.

In June 2023, it found he had committed a “clear breach” of the ministerial code by not clearing a role writing a weekly column for the Daily Mail. Mr Dowden later decided no action would be taken against Mr Johnson.

His talks with Nicolas Maduro in February were private and his trip was not paid for by the UK government.

Last month, his spokesman said the purpose had been “to emphasise the need or Venezuela to embrace a proper democratic process”.

Mr Maduro has run Venezuela since 2013. He has faced widespread protests, but in 2018 won a second term in presidential elections widely dismissed as neither free nor fair.

In his letter to Mr Dowden, Tory peer Lord Pickles, chairman of Acoba, said: “Mr Johnson has repeatedly been asked by Acoba to clarify his relationship with Merlyn Advisors [the hedge fund that set up the meeting].

“He has not done so, nor has he denied the reports in the media that he has been working with Merlyn Advisors on a non-contractual basis.”

In correspondence released by Acoba, Mr Johnson said he had no contractual relationship with the company, and had not been paid for any meetings in Venezuela.

“I was extensively briefed by HMA (His Majesty’s Ambassador) Caracas before the meeting and used the occasion to push for democracy, human rights and the support of Ukraine,” he added.

Lord Pickles raised concerns that the trip had been paid for by Merlyn Advisors, and about the nature of Mr Johnson’s activities for the company even without a formal contract.

“If that is the case, there is a reasonable concern that you were acting in a capacity that would be inconsistent with Acoba’s guidance on ‘one-off’ speaking engagements – which does not provide blanket approval for ad-hoc advisory work,” the peer warned.

Mr Johnson did not answer further questions from Lord Pickles about his relationship with Merlyn, and said he believed it was “clearly not necessary” to consult Acoba about it.

Lord Pickles disagreed, suggesting Mr Johnson might have been working for Merlyn as an adviser – in which case he should have sought Acoba’s advice.

But the peer admitted there was little action that could be taken against Mr Johnson as the rules “no longer have relevance in the modern world and are unenforceable to applicants determined to ignore them”.

The government should reform the rules as it promised last July, Lord Pickles added, to ensure that those who broke them faced consequences.

Labour’s shadow Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said the former prime minister had “once again demonstrated a complete disdain for the rules, while Rishi Sunak is too weak to do anything about it”.

“The rules in place to stop this revolving door are wholly inadequate – and completely toothless,” he added.

Labour has promised to set up an “ethics and integrity commission” if it wins power, with enforceable rules and clear sanctions for people who break them.