Boris Johnson was paid more than double his prime ministerial salary for a $350,000 (approximately £316,041) speech and “fireside chat” in the United States earlier this week.
Mr Johnson took part in the sit-down interview at the Council of Insurance Agents and Brokers conference in Colorado on Tuesday.
Those present said he covered his continued belief in Brexit, British support for Ukraine and his previous climate scepticism. However, he avoided both the circumstances of his departure from No 10 and the difficulties facing Liz Truss, his successor.
Mr Johnson’s basic salary as an MP from 2021-22 was £81,932, while government records show he received an additional £75,440 for his prime ministerial role. This totalled an annual salary last year of £157,372.
Earlier this year, Lord Marland, a long-standing friend, said Mr Johnson told him “he wants to go and put hay in the loft, in other words build up his balance… so that he can afford to pay for the lifestyle that he has created”.
Renato Lilienfeld, the president of Chilean insurance broker Lilienfeld Corredores de Seguros, told The Times that Mr Johnson – who is still the MP for Uxbridge and Ruislip – used the speech to present himself as “a great believer in Brexit and that Brexit is good for the UK”.
Mr Lilienfeld added the keynote address saw him “[confess] that in the past he didn’t believe in climate change, but now [he believes] that we need to do things and that we will come out of that as well”.
Read More: Boris Johnson paid over double his annual prime ministerial salary for 30-minute speech
