How much for a breakfast with Boris Johnson? 99,500 pounds sterling (117,000 euros), to be exact. In November 2019, just before the legislative elections triumphantly won by the current British Prime Minister, millionaire Mohamed Amersi agreed to pay this sum at a gala dinner intended to raise funds for the Conservative Party. The breakfast had been auctioned and the businessman had won the jackpot. There was nothing illegal about the matter and the donation had been declared – but not the reward.
Eighteen months later, this major donor – he and his wife have donated 750,000 pounds to the party since 2017 – fell out with the political formation. The promised breakfast has still not taken place. Mr. Amersi therefore decided to break the law of silence by revealing to the Financial Times and at Sunday Times Boris Johnson’s small arrangements with the billionaires who fund his party.
He explains in particular that belonging to the “Group of leaders” of donors provides access to a monthly meeting with a minister or secretary of state. Entrance ticket: 50,000 pounds per year. The arrangement has been in place since David Cameron was still prime minister. But Mr Johnson took it a step further.
250,000 books per year minimum
According to Financial Times, a “Advisory board” (“Advisory board”) was also set up, selecting the top donors. These pay a minimum of 250,000 pounds per year, although no one seems to know the precise rules of the conditions of membership. Once a month, this dozen generous contributors have access to either Boris Johnson or Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. “Never below this level”, confides to the financial daily a connoisseur of this very special dating club.
the Financial Times reveals that, on June 28, Boris Johnson spent the evening at a private reception organized in the upscale district of Kensington at the home of Rishi Khosla, a discreet millionaire who made his fortune in finance.
Among the guests was Peter Cruddas, one of the Tories’ most generous donors, whose fortune comes from an online trading company. To reward him, Mr Johnson appointed him to the House of Lords in 2020. A few days later, the latter made another donation of half a million pounds. Howard Shore, founder of Shore Capital, another financial firm, was also in attendance. Paid him £ 250,000 to the Conservative Party in January, having already given the same sum in November 2019, just before Mr Johnson’s election victory.
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