London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

Rupert Murdoch pays £11,000 for Boris Johnson to visit

Rupert Murdoch pays £11,000 for Boris Johnson to visit

Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch paid more than £11,000 for Boris Johnson to visit him in the US last month, the latest list of MPs' financial interests shows.

Mr Johnson and two staff members were flown to Montana on 11 and 12 October - with internal US flights, accommodation and hospitality paid for by Mr Murdoch.

The pair held a private meeting, the BBC understands.

The latest list also shows Mr Johnson was paid £276,000 for a speech five weeks after leaving Downing Street.

On 14 October - a few days after visiting Mr Murdoch - Mr Johnson spoke to the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers in Colorado Springs. He gave a 30-minute speech and a 45-minute "fireside chat" at the event.

The former PM worked for eight-and-a-half hours, meaning he was paid an hourly rate of more than £32,400. Mr Johnson and two members of staff also received free transport and accommodation.

The Register of Members' Financial Interests is published twice a month and shows MPs' outside income, gifts, visits and other benefits - anything they receive which could influence their actions, speeches or votes in Parliament.

Mr Johnson's visit to Mr Murdoch - who reportedly bought a ranch in Montana last December - came just over a week before Liz Truss resigned as UK prime minister. Her resignation sparked a leadership race which saw Mr Johnson win support to run, before dramatically withdrawing from the contest.

It is not the first time Mr Johnson and Mr Murdoch have met. The pair held several meetings while Mr Johnson was prime minister - according to Cabinet Office records - and also met when Mr Johnson was mayor of London.


Boris Johnson arriving at Gatwick Airport from the Caribbean last month amid speculation he would run to replace Liz Truss

Mr Murdoch's News Corp owns several newspapers including the Wall Street Journal in the US, and the Sun and the Times in the UK.

For decades the billionaire was a force in politics at the highest level. But after the phone-hacking scandal and the closure of The News of The World in 2011, his political allies deserted him and his reputation was knocked.

However his influence began to rise again when political hopefuls such as Nigel Farage and former US President Donald Trump approached Mr Murdoch for help.

This week, news outlets that are part of Mr Murdoch's empire appeared to ditch support for Mr Trump. On Tuesday night, Fox News cut away during Trump's announcement of his new White House campaign, the Wall Street Journal editorial board called Trump a "loser" and the New York Post covered the news with the headline: "Florida Man Makes Announcement".

Thursday's update to the UK MPs' financial interests list also shows:

*  Fellow former PM Theresa May was paid £97,000 for a speech at an event hosted by private equity firm Apax Partners, as well as £8,000 for a virtual one-hour speaking event with World 50, a "private community for senior-most executives" based in the US

*  Liz Truss received a donation of more than £33,000 in September to cover winding up costs for her leadership campaign

*  Former UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock - who is currently appearing in I'm A Celebrity - received £10,000 for a speech at a fintech conference last month

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×