Boris Johnson sets up limited company for post-PM work

Ex-Tory leader entitled to £115,000 a year in public funding for office

Johnson stood down as prime minister in July (PA)

Boris Johnson has set up a new private company to support his work as a former prime minister and will have up to £115,000 a year in public funding at his disposal.

The Office of Boris Johnson Ltd was incorporated with Companies House on Monday – with the ousted Tory leader listed under his full name of Alexander Boris De Pfeffel Johnson.

The private limited company will not do commercial business and will function solely as a private office to support him as a former PM, according to a source.

Mr Johnson was replaced by Liz Truss after standing down as Conservative leader in July, forced out by his own MPs over his handling of a series of scandals, including Partygate.

As a former prime minister, he is entitled to claim up to £115,000 a year to run his office under a scheme to support the ex-inhabitants of No 10 who remain active in public life.

The public funding is designed to cover office and secretarial costs arising from their special position and does not apply to their private or parliamentary duties.

It is unclear how much of the public duty allowance Mr Johnson will claim, with costs being reimbursed after proof of expenditure is provided.

Listed as the company director is Shelley Williams-Walker, a longstanding ally who was head of operations at No 10 under Mr Johnson.

A spokesman for Mr Johnson said: “The Office of Boris Johnson Ltd will support Boris Johnson’s private office in line with similar structures established by former prime ministers.”

It is not yet known how active Mr Johnson intends to be in frontline politics. Allies haved suggested he may consider another push at becoming prime minister in the future, with Ms Truss and the Tory party struggling with dire poll numbers.

Former Tory prime minister Theresa May made more than £450,000 from after-dinner speeches last year. Former Labour PM Tony Blair is believed to have earned the most from a single speech, after he was paid £237,000 for an engagement in China in 2007.

Mr Johnson is still facing an investigation by MPs in the privileges committee this autumn into whether or not he told the truth about Partygate gatherings in Downing Street.

Shortly before leaving No 10, Mr Johnson commissioned legal advice from Lord Pannick – at the reported cost of £130,000 – which claimed terms of the committee’s inquiry were “unfair” and could be ruled “unlawful” by courts.

Allies have continued to question whether he “deliberately” misled parliament during the Partygate saga. But his “intention” is not relevant in deciding whether he is in contempt, the committee has made clear.

The committee’s terms of reference state that whether the PM “deliberately” misled the House of Commons “may become one of the key issues of the inquiry”. But is not necessarily crucial in deciding whether he was in contempt of parliament.