Boris Johnson tells MPs he met Russian oligarch and ex-KGB officer Alexander Lebedev without officials present
Boris Johnson has told MPs he met Russian oligarch and ex-KGB officer Alexander Lebedev without officials present.And when asked if he met the Russian billionaire and former Evening Standard owner while foreign secretary in Italy in 2018, he said he had.Controversy surrounds that appointment, since The Sunday Times alleged that the peerage was granted despite a warning from the security services that it posed a national security risk.
The Soviet KGB was the main Cold War rival of Western security services, and President Vladimir Putin was a KGB officer too. Many of Mr Putin's closest aides were KGB comrades. Mr Johnson was answering a question from Labour's Dame Diana Johnson on the Commons Liaison Committee. "I certainly have met the gentleman in question, who used to be the proprietor of the London Evening Standard when I was mayor of London," the prime minister said.Lord Lebedev, current owner of the Evening Standard, has denied posing a "security risk" to the UK.
The Sunday Times said the security services' assessment was withdrawn after Mr Johnson - a long-time friend of Lord Lebedev - personally intervened.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Boris Johnson latest: Gove tells Johnson to go as resignations pile on pressure - BBC NewsPM Boris Johnson is currently answering questions from a committee of senior backbench MPs, while resignations continue elsewhere in Westminster
Read more »
Boris Johnson invites Nicola Sturgeon to UK summit on cost of living crisisThe Prime Minister used a call to the SNP leader and Welsh Labour FM on Monday to issue the invitation to a meeting later this year.
Read more »
Conspiracy theory about Boris Johnson not having Covid-19 is back - Full FactSome people on Facebook still believe there was a conspiracy to silence doctors who doubted Boris Johnson’s Covid-19 diagnosis. There wasn’t. This comes from an article that says it was meant to be a joke. 🔍 👉
Read more »