A story about a “private meeting” on Sunday night that @DUPLeader attended after being dropped off at the home of @BorisJohnson “friend”, property tycoon and tory donor, Christopher Moran & the SpAd email about electoral planning and assistance that evening.
A thread ...
A thread ...
On 24th November 2018, @BorisJohnson appeared at the DUP conference thanking his “friend” Moran, sitting in the front row "for everything he has done for NI, and for helping me to secure this invitation.”
Moran a property tycoon and the chairman of peace building charity @cooperationirl, is a regular at the DUP conference and flew back to London in his private jet with @BorisJohnson and @DUPLeader
ft.com/content/6f9893…
ft.com/content/6f9893…
Arlene Foster was on the flight as she was travelling to London to appear on the @MarrShow on Sunday. The following day @thesundaytimes published a story about prostitutes operating from Chelsea Cloisters owned by Moran
thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/r…
thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/r…
Just a day or so before the @FT article about the flight @DUPLeader registered it late in the @niassembly register of interests.
Going back two years earlier, four months after the EU referendum and just a few months before the NI collapsed. On 23rd October 2016, a Sunday afternoon, @DUPLeader, her SpAd @RichardBullick1 and the PPS flew to London for the Joint Ministerial Committee the following day.
The @AerLingus flight EI36 arrived in to LHR T2 for 18:40. The party of three took a pre-booked Government Car Service vehicle to central London. The car dropped off @DUPLeader and @RichardBullick1 for what the @niexecutive Office describe as a "private meeting"
Despite the @transportgovuk refusing to provide us with details we obtained this invoice issued by GCS. It details the journey from LHR T2 to SW3 5AZ
The only address that appears for this postcode according to @RoyalMail is Crosby Hall.
Crosby Hall is the London home of Moran.
The GSC continued to the Park Plaza Westminster with the PPS on board.
Crosby Hall is the London home of Moran.
The GSC continued to the Park Plaza Westminster with the PPS on board.
The Ministerial diary of @DUPLeader did not include this "private meeting" but did include the travel arrangements as the @niexecutive Office were picking up the tab.
At 00:07 on 24th October 2016 Arlene Foster's SpAd @RichardBullick1 sent an email to
Timothy Johnston attached was @DUPLeaders's 2016 conference speech with her personal amendments.
Timothy Johnston attached was @DUPLeaders's 2016 conference speech with her personal amendments.
At 07:16 Johston replies "Ta" shortly after at 07:37 @RichardBullick1 replies detailing "one of the key suggestions from last night"
It was "to get electronic marked registers from the assembly election and referendum (EU) to target those who voted in the latter but not the former especially from a unionist background with a targeted letter. They seem to have or can create software to run that process"
Questions remain about who “they” are, who was at the meeting and who was offering electoral support to the DUP late on Sunday evening for an election that wasn't called for another six months in April 2017.
In the week following the DUP held their 2016 party conference with Moran in attendance. During a speech Nigel Dodds said,
"The temptation for the Prime Minister to call an early general election is strong and growing. Our party is making preparations for such an eventuality."
"The temptation for the Prime Minister to call an early general election is strong and growing. Our party is making preparations for such an eventuality."
On 18th April 2017 Theresa May called a snap general election saying "it was with reluctance that I decided the country needs this".
A follow up. We asked the ICO to investigate our request to DfT about if any GCS vehicles dropped of in SW3 that night.
