Thread by @MattCarr55

“He recalled how, at the beginning of Johnson’s 2016-18 tenure as foreign secretary, they would often “plot” late into the evening over a bottle of wine on the balcony of Johnson’s office at parliament.” Nothing to see here, just our next PM... reut.rs/2LuCFXt

“ Temerko rose to prominence in the Russian arms industry in the 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union. He cultivated close relations with the then Russian defence minister and told Reuters he himself had three-star and four-star Russian generals working under him.”

“ Alexander Temerko, who forged close ties with the Russian defence ministry and security services in the 1990s, has gifted over £1 million to the Conservatives over the past eight years.”

“Johnson is not among the politicians recorded as having received donations from Temerko. But the industrialist has financed some of Johnson’s key allies in parliament, including one of the men running his leadership campaign, James Wharton.”

“Wharton, an MP until 2017, serves as a paid adviser to the UK energy firm Aquind Ltd where Temerko is a director. In June 2013, he put forward the parliamentary bill that first called for a referendum on Britain’s EU membership.”

“Temerko made £25,000 in political donations to Wharton between 2013 and 2015, disclosures to parliament show, a relatively large figure for an individual British MP, helping fund his re-election in 2015.”

“Temerko said he had joined an unsuccessful attempt led by members of a group of hardline Conservative MPs to remove Prime Minister Theresa May in December 2018.

A senior Conservative Party member confirmed Temerko was “very much behind the attempt to oust” May.”

“During the same conversation, Temerko said ‘a group of East European businessmen’ had helped sway Johnson into siding in February 2016 with campaigners for Britain’s departure from the EU after months of sitting on the fence. “

Wow. Just wow. In any normal country, this story would have finished Johnson by itself. Would have provoked major investigation into Tory funding, Tory/Russia links, 2016 EU referendum etc.

In this country it’s just 😴😴 Move along. Nothing to see here.