Foreign Office distances itself from Boris Johnson’s Venezuela visit

The Foreign Office has distanced itself from Boris Johnson‘s freelance diplomacy after it emerged his recent meeting with Venezuela’s leader was organised by a hedge fund.

The former Prime Minister met with Nicolas Maduro, the autocratic president of Venezuela, and pushed for the country to support Ukraine in its war with Russia.

It has now been reported that the trip was arranged by Merlyn Advisors, a hedge fund where Mr Johnson is a paid adviser, and he was accompanied by the fund’s founder Maarten Petermann.

The Foreign Office was informed of Mr Johnson’s meeting with President Maduro shortly before it took place. But a source in the department insisted the Government was not involved, telling i: “It was a private trip.”

A spokesman for the ex-Tory leader said: “Since he has left public office we do not comment on the details of Boris Johnson’s private meetings.”

The Financial Times and the Sunday Times both reported that Mr Petermann, who has pushed for better relations between Venezuela and Western powers, had arranged the visit in February. Merlyn Advisors has not commented.

Mr Johnson is said to have raised the need for Mr Maduro to run a free and fair election with the Venezuelan opposition allowed to run a candidate of its choice.

The country has been at loggerheads with the West for years following the rule of the charismatic leftist Hugo Chavez, whose successor has progressively abandoned democratic norms.

US-led sanctions designed to force Mr Maduro out of office were relaxed late last year but tensions have risen after the president threatened to annexe large parts of neighbouring Guyana, a Commonwealth country.