Beautiful Virgin Islands

Friday, Aug 08, 2025

Canadian businessman Sam Blyth agreed to act as a guarantor for a credit facility for the-then prime minister

Canadian businessman Sam Blyth agreed to act as a guarantor for a credit facility for the-then prime minister

Boris Johnson’s Cousin Was ‘Guarantor for an £800,000 Credit Facility’
Boris Johnson used a distant millionaire relative to act as a guarantor for an £800,000 credit facility while he was in Downing Street, according to a report.

Canadian businessman Sam Blyth agreed to guarantee the huge credit facility for his distant cousin in December 2020 before it was taken out in February 2021, a newspaper report claims.

Mr Blyth was considered, between late 2020 and early 2021 – when the guarantor arrangements were being put into place – for a position as chief executive of the British Council, a non-departmental public body, the Sunday Times states.

One source told the paper Mr Johnson had been close to “going broke”, and the line of credit was said to have been made available for his living costs, including divorce payments.

The Cabinet Office’s propriety and ethics team approved the arrangement in December 2020 after Mr Johnson asked for the advice of cabinet secretary Simon Case, the report added.

The latest revelations come after the Independent revealed a bitter split among warring Conservatives over whether Mr Johnson should be restored as leader of the party given his history of scandals, and if so how. It was just a few months after the credit arrangement was made that a row broke out about the lavish refurbishment of the flat above No 11 Downing Street by Mr Johnson and his partner.

Mr Case and Cabinet Office officials are said to have been unaware of Mr Blyth’s application for the quango, having been assured that there were no conflicts of interest.

Mr Blyth, reportedly worth $50 million, is said to be a friend of Mr Johnson’s father, Stanley Johnson with their mothers said to be cousins.

A spokesman for the former PM said: “Boris Johnson did not in any way assist with, and was unaware of, any application by Sam Blyth, formal or informal, to serve in any position whatever with the British Council, and neither was anybody in No 10 who was acting on his behalf.”

They added: “As far as he is aware no one in No 10 either knew about this alleged application or did anything to advance it.”

There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Mr Blyth. He 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 Independent: “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.”

The former PM’s wife Carrie Johnson reportedly made free use of Mr Blyth’s villa in the Dominican Republic in early 2022, before Mr Johnson and the whole family holidayed there in October.

Mr Johnson has argued that use of the Dominican Republic villa did not need to be registered because its free use came from a family member providing a personal benefit.

It comes as reports suggest Mr Johnson – who currently represents the marginal Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency – could be planning to seek a “deal” with Rishi Sunak.

The former PM – hit by claims he joked about an “unsocially distance” party at No 10 during Covid curbs – is said to be willing to back off from a leadership push against his rival in exchange for a safer seat at the next general election.

But Mr Sunak dismissed the idea, telling broadcasters during a visit to Scotland: “I think the former prime minister has declared his intention to stand in his current seat in Uxbridge.”

And a spokesperson for Mr Johnson also rejected the suggestion he could be seeking a different seat, saying: “This is untrue. Boris Johnson is fully supporting the government and is standing in Uxbridge and South Ruislip at the next election.”

Mr Sunak also defended the system for declaring MPs’ donations but did not offer any comment after Mr Johnson received £1m from a Tory donor.

The huge donation ever received by a MP came from Christopher Harborne, Brexiteer and crypto investor based in Thailand. “In general, we have procedures in place to make sure all donations are declared transparently, which I’m sure is the case here,” PM said.

Meanwhile, The Independent has revealed that a split has emerged among Tory supporters of Mr Johnson over how best to put him back in power.

Lord Cruddas, who is leading the Conservative Democratic Organisation group’s push to transfer more power to grassroots members, accused MPs of trying to hoard power.

Tory MP James Duddridge, who said Mr Johnson was “still in play”, added: “The constitution of the party is really quite complex. It is not the answer to our problems”. Another MP called the CDO push “b*****ks”.

But Lord Cruddas said: “It’s not a surprise to hear some MPs don’t want to change the rules, because they hold the balance of power.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Increases Reward for Arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro to Fifty Million Dollars
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Embarrassment in Britain: Homelessness Minister Evicted Tenants and Forced to Resign
President Trump nominated Stephen Miran, his top economic adviser and a critic of the Federal Reserve, to temporarily fill an open Fed seat
The AI-Powered Education Revolution: Market Potential and Transformative Impact
Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Southern China: Over 7,000 Hospitalized
French wine makers have seen catastrophic damage to vines that were almost ready to be harvested after the worst fires in more than 70 years burned through the south of the country
US Lawmaker Probes Intel CEO’s China Ties Amid National Security Concerns
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
Trump Open to Meeting Putin as Soon as Next Week, with Possible Trilateral Summit Including Zelenskiy
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau spark dating rumors, joining high stakes world of celeb-politician romances
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Karol Nawrocki Inaugurated as Poland’s President, Setting Stage for Clash with Tusk Government
Trump Signals JD Vance as ‘Most Likely’ MAGA Successor for 2028
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals for Illegal Nvidia AI Chip Exports
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
U.S. Tariff Policy Triggers Market Volatility Amid Growing Global Trade Tensions
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
Representative Greene Urges H-1B Visa Cuts Amid U.S.-India Trade Tensions
U.S. House Committee Subpoenas Clintons and Senior Officials in Epstein Investigation
Sydney Sweeney Registered as Republican as Controversial American Eagle Ad Sparks Debate
Trump Accuses Major Banks of Politically Motivated Account Denials and Prepares Executive Order
TikTok Removes Huda Kattan Video Over Anti-Israel Conspiracy Claims
Trump Threatens Tariffs on India Over Russian Oil Imports
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
U.S. Proposes Visa Bond of Up to $15,000 for Some Applicants
U.S. Farmers Increase Lobbying Amid Immigration Crackdown
Elon Musk Receives $23.7 Billion Tesla Stock Award
Texas House Paralyzed After Democrats Walk Out Over Redistricting
Mexican Cartels Complicate Sheinbaum’s U.S. Security Talks
Mark Zuckerberg Declares War on the iPhone
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Matt Taibbi Slams Media for Role in Russiagate Narrative
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
×