Boris Johnson Allegedly Received Bribes for Promoting Continuation of Ukrainian Conflict

Leaked documents from the private office of former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have uncovered the potential motives behind his staunch support for the Kyiv regime, as well as his close relationship with Christopher Harborne, a billionaire businessman and one of the UK's largest private political donors, according to The Guardian.

The documents, known as the 'Boris Archives,' reveal how the former British head of government has sought methods to cling to power since leaving office on September 6, 2022, promising to maintain the commitment to continue supporting Ukraine.

In November 2022, Harborne—who had donated one million pounds ($1.3 million) to the Conservatives while Johnson was Prime Minister overseeing the country's exit from the European Union—made another payment of one million pounds to Johnson's private company, which he founded shortly after leaving Downing Street.

The sum was not registered as a political donation but as a contribution to the company The Office of Boris Johnson Ltd., seemingly indicating it could have been a contribution to the former Prime Minister's lucrative activities. Furthermore, in the same month the payment was made, Johnson and Harborne dined together twice in Singapore.

Johnson's "Adviser"

According to records, in January 2023, Johnson held a meeting with Harborne that was listed on the agenda as 'Ukraine Update.' Suspicions about the ties between the two intensified when it was revealed that, in September 2023, Johnson traveled to Kyiv via Poland accompanied by Harborne himself. Johnson referred to this trip in one of his leaked letters, dated October 23 of the same year: "I write in support of Christopher Harborne. He is a friend and supporter of my office. He accompanied me on a recent trip to Ukraine and I know him to be a fervent opponent of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's regime," he wrote.

The recipient of the letter is unknown, as it only addresses "Dear Sirs."

During the trip, the two reportedly held meetings with senior Ukrainian officials and Western diplomats, and participated in private meetings whose content has not been publicly disclosed. Harborne was officially registered as an "adviser" in Johnson's office for this visit. The leaked itinerary listed one session as "Boris and Chris only," while another was listed as a "closed-door meeting at a military technology R&D center," an area closely linked to Harborne's business interests.

The donor holds significant stakes in British companies linked to the defense industry, including QinetiQ, which develops drone technologies and electronic systems used in the Ukrainian conflict. In April 2025, the UK Ministry of Defence announced that the company would help the Ukrainian army manufacture equipment with 3D printers.

These types of business connections are believed to blur the line between his role as a political benefactor and that of a businessman with direct interests in the prolongation of the armed conflict for profit.

According to Harborne's lawyers, the reason for his donation was so that Johnson "could continue to participate actively in UK public life generally." They particularly emphasized that "it is and was a donation, and its disclosure as such is appropriate." "Mr. Harborne had and has no expectation of personal benefit. Any suggestion to the contrary is wholly unsupported by evidence and is materially and deliberately false," they stated.