Boris Johnson in talks over possible telegraph role as Zahawi consortium makes progress in auction

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been involved in informal discussions about a possible role at The Telegraph as part of Nadhim Zahawi’s bid to take over the newspaper.

Zahawi, who served as chancellor under Johnson, is currently putting together a consortium to buy The Telegraph through an ongoing auction process.

A source close to Johnson downplayed the significance of these talks, noting that no substantive discussions had taken place, despite speculation that Johnson could be appointed as the paper’s global editor-in-chief. Johnson, who has close ties to The Telegraph from his time as a correspondent and columnist in Brussels, currently writes a weekly column for the Daily Mail, from which he reportedly earns a six-figure salary.

Zahawi, who briefly served as chancellor in Johnson’s final days as prime minister, is one of several bidders who have advanced to the second round of the auction. The auction, managed by Robey Warshaw and Raine, also includes rival bidders such as Sir Paul Marshall, backed by Republican billionaire Ken Griffin, and veteran newspaper executive David Montgomery. In addition, two unidentified foreign investment groups remain in the running.

Zahawi has reportedly approached several billionaires to back the bid from his consortium, which also includes The Spectator magazine, both of which are being sold by Abu Dhabi-backed fund RedBird IMI. Johnson’s involvement in Zahawi’s bid could attract further investor interest.

Other potential bidders, including Belgian publisher Mediahuis and Lord Rothermere, the owner of the Daily Mail, have been eliminated from the process, with the latter stepping back over concerns about regulatory scrutiny.

RedBird IMI was forced to put The Telegraph up for sale following ministerial intervention, which blocked the takeover of press freedom concerns. The sale process was initiated after RedBird repaid £1.2 billion of debt owed by the Barclay family, the newspaper’s previous owners, to Lloyds Banking Group.

A spokesperson for Boris Johnson declined to comment, while Nadhim Zahawi did not respond to requests for comment.