Big spender Boris Johnson’s distant Canadian cousin helped him access an £800,000 credit facility and a luxury villa in the Caribbean, it was claimed today.
The arrangement allowed the ex-Tory leader to fund his lavish lifestyle while in No10 and immediately afterwards, according to The Sunday Times.
Millionaire Sam Blyth acted as a guarantor to up to £800,000 of credit to fund the ex-PM’s “day-to-day expenses”, it was reported.
Separately Mr Blyth - a friend of the ex-PM’s father Stanley - is said to have given Mr Johnson and wife Carrie free use of his luxury villa in the Dominican Republic, normally rented for up to $5,000 a night.
Mr Johnson jetted back from the Caribbean hideaway in October in a short-lived bid to return to Downing Street when Liz Truss was ousted.
Mr Johnson’s spokesman refused to say how much, if any, of the £800,000 in credit he drew down.
He added: “Boris Johnson did not take a loan from Sam Blyth. There was no '£800k loan’.”
With a costly divorce from ex-wife Marina and at least seven children, Boris Johnson has repeatedly relied on benefactors - despite his £159,000 salary as PM and earning more than £1million since he left No10.
He asked for the help of a Tory donor, Lord Brownlow, for a £112,000 revamp of the Downing Street flat - before funding it from his own pocket after an outcry.
Likewise he and wife Carrie have been having their accommodation bankrolled by billionaire Tory donor Lord Bamford since he was booted from office.
Senior civil servants had conversations about the risk of the PM being unable to pay his annual tax bill, the Sunday Times reported.
According to the newspaper, the use of a £800,000 credit facility was approved by the Cabinet Office's propriety and ethics team in December 2020 after Mr Johnson sought formal advice.
Mr Johnson’s spokesman insisted the arrangement was “properly declared” in private, despite the fact it did not appear on the public List of Ministers’ Interests.
Declarations only appear on a minister’s public register if an interest “might be thought to give rise to a conflict” with their duties.
According to reports, the Cabinet Office’s propriety and ethics team gave consent - on the condition that there was no risk of the perception of a conflict of interest.
It later emerged Mr Blyth was reportedly in the running for a six-figure job at the British Council, which was seeking a chief executive - and appeared on a "recommendation list”.
Mr Johnson’s spokesman insisted the ex-PM was not aware of his relative’s application, and neither was anyone in No10 acting on his behalf.
The spokesman said: “It is completely untrue that Boris Johnson in any way assisted with, or was even aware of, any application by Sam Blyth - formal or informal - to serve in any position whatever with the British Council, and neither was anybody in No10 who was acting on his behalf.
“As far as he is aware no one in No10 either knew about this alleged application or did anything to advance it.”
The spokesman for the ex-PM added: “All Boris Johnson’s financial interests are and were properly declared.
“Boris Johnson sought advice from the Cabinet Secretary, the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests and the Propriety and Ethics Team. He followed their advice in full as the Cabinet Office has confirmed.”
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Mr Blyth, who 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 newspaper: "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."
