Boris Johnson is running for senior role at Telegraph
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In a Monday piece, Sky News quoted an unidentified person close to Johnson as claiming that, while the concept of his taking a senior post at The Telegraph was "floating around."
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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the Conservative party headquarters in central London. (AFP)
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is being considered as The Telegraph's worldwide editor-in-chief, according to numerous UK media sites. Johnson is said to have had early discussions about the position with Nadhim Zahawi, the former chancellor of the exchequer, who is currently looking to acquire the newspaper that is financially struggling.
Johnson became Prime Minister in July 2019 and guided the nation through further discussions with Brussels, as well as the Covid-19 epidemic. Numerous political scandals and significant dissatisfaction with him including within the Conservative Party, led to his resignation in July 2022
In a Monday piece, Sky News quoted an unidentified person close to Johnson as claiming that, while the concept of his taking a senior post at The Telegraph was "floating around," no official agreement had been made.
According to the source, Johnson, a previous correspondent in Brussels for the Telegraph and a recent columnist "still holds The Telegraph in high affection."
On Monday, the Telegraph reported that Johnson had addressed the topic with Zahawi, who is now preparing a syndicate to acquire the newspaper at auction.
Sky News reported that the former chancellor has already discussed Johnson being the worldwide editor-in-chief of the newspaper with potential investors in his quest.
The Telegraph has speculated that this may increase interest among the billionaires Zahawi has likely addressed in the hopes of forming a partnership and purchasing the newspaper.
The status of The Telegraph has been uncertain for more than a year after the Barclay family, who had owned the newspaper for over 20 years, fell behind on debt obligations. After repeated setbacks, the media outlet was ultimately put up for sale, with various tycoons bidding for it.
A spokeswoman for Johnson declined to comment on the rumored employment discussions with Zahawi.
UK slashes UAE's hopes of acquiring The Telegraph
Back in March, Britain said that it will submit the UAE-led acquisition of The Telegraph to a long assessment, ultimately killing the transaction since a rule prohibiting foreign governments from owning newspapers is set to take effect in the coming months.
Britain's government announced intentions to prohibit foreign governments from owning newspapers due to concerns regarding the media's independence and the role of foreign players in purchasing politically significant properties.
Stephen Parkinson, the House of Lords' culture minister, told the House of Lords, "We will amend the media merger regime explicitly to rule out newspaper and periodical news magazine mergers involving ownership, influence or control by foreign states."
Abu Dhabi-backed RedBird IMI acquired The Telegraph titles and The Spectator magazine in December to help settle the Barclay family's 1.2 billion pound ($1.5 billion) debt to Lloyds Bank (LLOY.L), but the transaction requires regulatory clearance.
British MPs and journalists have passionately protested the UAE's ownership of The Telegraph, sometimes known as the "Torygraph" because of its longstanding backing for the right-leaning Conservative, or Tory Party. They argue that the ownership of one of Britain's most prominent newspapers by a foreign state, notably the UAE, would jeopardize press freedom.
