Thread by @Gabriel_Pogrund

🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Boris Johnson wrote letter recommending "lover" Jennifer Arcuri for £100K job as head of public body

Hundreds of leaked emails show Arcuri also put Johnson as reference on her CV

She applied for TechCity CEO after being egged on by Milo Yiannapoulos

See ST tmrw

Emails reveal that Arcuri plotted out a detailed plan to become CEO of Tech City - months after graduating

She enlisted the support of staff at London & Partners and even Department of Business.

At the heart of her application was her status as a friend of Boris

With friends, she discussed removing "sexy pictures" and updating her LinkedIn to appear a more serious candidate.

Yet in her 10 page application she mentioned her experience managing a sushi restaurant.

Track changes show she couldn't initially answer some Qs, writing: "Eek!"

Arcuri had remarkable access: as Bojo sat with his wife at the Olympics opening ceremony, she said she could meet him the next week so he could sign off on the letter she herself wrote.

🚨🚨🚨 Years later, in 2014, Arcuri joked about having persuaded Boris to back her.

"I still have letter of rec from Boris. hahahaha. To think we asked him to write us a recommendation for the CEO of Tech City is just hysterical."

Dominic Grieve said the revelations were "astonishing", especially as Johnson didn't declare any interest and Arcuri was woefully underqualified

Read more in tomorrow's Sunday Times from @JCalvertST, @Arbuthnott and me