Ex-UK PM Boris Johnson Pursued UAE Deal Worth Millions After Leaving No 10: Report

Last Updated:September 10, 2025, 15:52 IST

Boris Johnson faces scrutiny after leaked files reveal he lobbied Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala for Bia Advisory, seeking a $1 billion deal and a 24 percent stake.

Former Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson. (AP Photo)

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing questions after leaked documents suggested he lobbied a top Abu Dhabi official to support a private business venture that could have made him millions. The files, dubbed the Boris Files and obtained by the transparency group Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoS), indicate that Boris Johnson was recruited in early 2024 as “principal adviser” to Bia Advisory, a little-known “climate finance solutions” firm. The venture, led by a vape industry lobbyist, a Vote Leave campaigner and a Vienna banker, was seeking more than $1 billion in backing from Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund Mubadala.

Boris Johnson Leveraged Gulf Connections

The documents suggest Boris Johnson was offered a 24% stake in Bia Advisory, while his close aide Shelley Williams-Walker was promised 20%. Their role, according to the files, was to use Boris Johnson’s political profile and Gulf relationships to win over the Emirati leadership.

As prime minister, Boris Johnson had hosted Khaldoon al-Mubarak, chair of Mubadala and Manchester City FC, at Downing Street on multiple occasions. In April 2024, months after leaving Parliament, Boris Johnson travelled to Abu Dhabi, where he delivered a $350,000 paid speech at a state energy conference before raising the Bia proposal directly with Mubarak, the leaked records show.

Why Is Boris Johnson Being Questioned?

UK ethics rules prohibit ex-ministers from lobbying foreign officials they met in office for commercial gain. At the time, Boris Johnson’s role with Bia Advisory had not yet been approved by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), the watchdog that vets former ministers’ business activities.

Draft correspondence prepared for Boris Johnson to send Mubarak described the investment as a “tempting opportunity” and asked for Mubadala’s support. Internal emails show Boris Johnson’s aides pressing Acoba to accelerate approval while also editing letters to make them “more authentically Boris-y.”

The revelations also raise questions about the use of taxpayer money. Boris Johnson, like other former prime ministers, receives up to £115,000 annually under the Public Duty Costs Allowance (PDCA) to cover staff and official duties. His aides, paid under this allowance, were also involved in his private business interests, according to the leaked files.

Boris Johnson has denied wrongdoing as he told the Guardian, “This story is rubbish. The PDCA has been used entirely in accordance with the rules.”

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