Washington Post chief's role exposed as secret adviser to Johnson while PM

The publisher of the Washington Post, Will Lewis, is facing fresh questions over his independence after a cache of leaked files revealed he gave extensive support to Boris Johnson as a secret political adviser when Johnson was prime minister.

- Jessica Elgot Harry Davies Henry Dyer

The files shed light on how the media executive, who at the time was vice-chair of the Associated Press (AP) news agency, worked behind the scenes with Johnson as his premiership was engulfed by a series of scandals.

Lewis's meetings with Johnson, which took place over a six-month period in 2022, were not disclosed in official transparency records, in an apparent breach of government rules.

In July 2022, on the eve of Johnson's announcement that he would resign as Conservative party leader, Lewis spent the day in 10 Downing Street and worked closely with the prime minister and his advisers.

Lewis appears to have arrived at 7.50am and took part in at least six meetings during the day, including a gathering of Johnson's aides to prepare him for prime minister's questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons.

In the meetings, which stretched into the evening, Lewis appears to have participated in gatherings of Johnson's closest political allies, including several MPs and a senior minister, as the prime minister came under intense pressure to step down.

Details of the extent of Lewis's support for Johnson are revealed in official government logs that provide a minute-by-minute record of the prime minister's activities. The logs are marked "official - sensitive".

The records are contained in the Boris Files, a cache of documents obtained by Distributed Denial of Secrets, a US non-profit that archives data leaks, and seen by the Guardian.

According to the files, Lewis spoke to or met the prime minister on at least 11 occasions between February and July 2022. In total, Lewis appears to have provided Johnson with at least 15 hours of political advice during this period.