“This was not an official meeting, nor was it something that was pre-arranged. The employees knew in advance that I was attending the social event,” he wrote to the liaison committee. “Contrary to some reports, my visit was in line with established security protocols under successive foreign ministers. “It would not be normal practice for public servants or security personnel to accompany me to such a private, social occasion.” Mr Johnson acknowledged that “any substantial content will have to be returned” by ministers who “find themselves discussing official business without an official presence”. But he added of his meeting with the two Lebedevs: “That was not necessary in this case. As far as I know, no government business was discussed.” He justified his presence at the gathering on the grounds that both Mr Lebedev and his son owned two British newspapers. “At the time, the Lebedevs’ company owned the Evening Standard and the Independent and the London Live TV company. “Her ownership and participation in British newspaper publishing was not disputed,” he wrote in his letter.
“Leadership” against Russia
Mr Lebedev served in the Soviet Embassy in London in the 1980s and built a fortune in Russia through banking and airline companies. He bought the Independent and Evening Standard newspapers in 2010 before passing ownership to his son. In a lengthy reply to the committee, the Prime Minister also defended his record of taking a “leading role” against Russian aggression and attacked Labour. “We continue to expose Russia’s malign activities and counter disinformation tactics” wherever they occur, he said. He also welcomed the UK’s role, under his leadership, in helping Ukraine and said more than 1,000 people with links to the Kremlin had been sanctioned. Mr Johnson pointed out that Lord Lebedev was “strongly critical of the Putin regime” and that Labor also had “significant engagement” with him. They included Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, and Chris Bryant, chairman of the Commons Standards Committee, “both of whom raised the issue of my engagement”.
