Drugs, a mural of Stalin, and Boris #Johnson - our exclusive investigation into Evgeny Lebedev's "hedonistic" parties in London and Italy and his decade-long relationship with the British prime minister. By me and @dansabbagh theguardian.com/politics/2020/…
Johnson made Lebedev a peer in July. He's due to take up his seat shortly in the House of Lords. Security sources tell us he is *still* deemed to be a potential security risk, albeit a low tier one, because of his #Moscow-based father Alexander who was in the #KGB
In March the House of Lords Appointments Commission wrote to Johnson calling for Lebedev's peerage to be withdrawn, as reported by @BylineTimes. This followed a #security briefing. No 10 resubmitted Lebedev's name in July, when the Commission reluctantly approved his appointment
Johnson has been a frequent guest at Lebedev's vodka and caviar parties in London and Italy. The December 2017 bash featured a #Stalin mural, hammer and sickle decorations, and Class A drugs taken after midnight in the dance floor area by a "small number of guests"
"Later in the evening, according to some people who were present, a small number of Lebedev’s guests also consumed class A drugs in at least one part of the house. Johnson was not among them. Many attendees, including Lebedev, said they did not see it and were not aware of it"
Johnson was foreign secretary at the time of Lebedev's "wild" Christmas 2017 party. Other guests including A-list actors and rocks stars were snapped by #paparazzi on their way in and out. There are no photos of Johnson, who appears to have slipped in via a back or side entrance
Three months after Lebedev's #USSR-themed party two #GRU assassins poisoned Sergei Skripal in Salisbury. Johnson, the foreign sec, broke of from the crisis and flew to the Lebedevs' mansion in Perugia, Italy. He left his security detail behind theguardian.com/politics/2019/…
If you have a confidential tip on this or other stories please get in touch! Investigations need sources and often take months theguardian.com/help/ng-intera…
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