Revealed: Why Theresa May Blocked Boris Johnson From State Secrets

By TruePublica Editor: It was not so long ago that the government of Theresa May was blaming Vladimir Putin’s Russia of meddling with Britain’s democracy and at the time it appeared rather odd that she also restricted Boris Johnson, then Foreign Secretary, of accessing certain information and intelligence of national security. Now it is abundantly clear what her reasons were.

 

In November 2017, dispensing with diplomatic niceties, Prime Minister Theresa May charged Vladimir Putin’s Russia with attempting to “undermine free societies” and “sow discord” in Britain and the West.

“So I have a very simple message for Russia. We know what you are doing. And you will not succeed,” May said. “The U.K. will do what is necessary to protect ourselves, and work with our allies to do likewise.”

May was confronting Russia because of growing concern in London of widespread attempts by Russia to manipulate the narrative. She even went as far as calling out Russia for – “meddling in elections”

At the same time – May’s remarks contradicted those of the then Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. Asked earlier that same month in 2017 whether he suspected that Russia had played a role in recent British elections, he answered: “No, I haven’t seen any evidence, not a sausage. … As far as I know they have played no role,” according to Reuters.

It was also reported that Theresa May actively ensured that Boris Johnson was excluded from vital information of national security whilst he was Foreign Secretary because it was clear she did not believe him to be trustworthy enough.

Fast forward to today. Boris Johnson stands on the cusp of becoming Britain’s Prime Minister just as the news emerges that he is very closely linked to the top of the Russian arms industry and has connections at the highest levels of the Kremlin. Alexander Temerko has been a very influential figure in British politics and is even one of the Conservative Party’s biggest donors having gifted £1 million for their cause.

Reuters reports that – “Temerko revealed himself to be a supporter of Johnson’s bid to lead Britain out of the EU, describing the 2016 public vote to leave the bloc as a “revolution against bureaucracy.”

The industrialist has financed some of Johnson’s important allies in parliament, including one of the men running his campaign for the Tory leadership, James Wharton, who also serves as a paid adviser to the UK energy firm where Temerko is a director. If this is not viewed as bordering on corruption than at best it is a conflict of interest.

Theresa May’s suspicions might have been right – to some extent. Temerko admitted he’d joined an unsuccessful attempt led by members of a group of hardline Conservative MPs, the European Research Group, to remove Theresa May as leader in December 2018.

According to the Reuters report – “one senior Conservative Party member confirmed that Temerko was “very much behind the attempt to oust” May. The party member declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter. May finally resigned on June 7.” Temerko also confirmed that he joined the push to oust May because he thought she should be more flexible in negotiating a route out of the EU.

Temerko also knows one of Putin’s closest and most powerful allies, Nikolai Patrushev, the hawkish head of Russia’s Security Council and former long-time head of the FSB security service. He has also openly admitted his past strong and close connections to the Russian security services.

Ben Bradshaw, a senior Labour parliamentarian who was the first MP to raise concern about potential Kremlin interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum, said the Reuters’ findings were “extremely troubling.”

“The fact that an ex Tory MP who is running Johnson’s leadership campaign is employed by Mr Temerko is extraordinary.”

In another very interesting quote from the Reuters story comes the statement that Temerko had said “a group of East European businessmen had helped sway Johnson” after months of sitting on the fence to join the leave EU campaign.

The minister of state for exiting the EU, Martin Callanan, served on the board of Temerko’s electric power firm Aquind from May 2016 to June 2017 . It appears that Temerko’s allies are at the helm of Johnson’s campaign.

Temerko also confirmed he is “friends” with political strategist Sir Lynton Crosby, whose firm, CTF Partners, gave Johnson a £20,000 interest free loan and a £3,000 cash donation late last year. CTF has itself been embroiled in connections with far-right social media campaigns targeting individuals to push for a hard-Brexit.

Gavin Williamson, sacked by Theresa May for leaking information of national security is a senior strategist of Boris Johnson’s campaign and is expected to be back in a senior, pivotal role in Johnson’s government.

The Reuters report is quite extraordinary in many other ways, especially given the detail of his connections with seniors of the state of Russia at the heart of the Kremlin. Not only that but he had connections with both Russian ambassadors and consuls of many countries.

It should also be noted that Temerko, was charged by the Russian with defrauding the state.

These are the types of people that Boris Johnson, the next Prime Minister of Britain, has close relationships with. He is a bought politician – of the worst type. It is hardly any wonder then that Theresa May, backed by the security services and the National Security Council were uncomfortable with him having access to highly sensitive information of national security.

 

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