Boris Johnson holes up in Sky executive’s £9.5million townhouse to plan the first 100 days of his government as protesters with a Boris Blimp take to the streets of London
- Boris Johnson holds up in Sky executive Andrew Griffith’s £9.5million townhouse
- Tory leadership front-runner has used it as his campaign HQ for at least four days
- It comes as an inflatable ‘Boris Blimp’ is making it way around Parliament Square
Boris Johnson has already started planning his takeover of No. 10 – and he’s doing so in the luxurious surroundings of a £9.5million residential Westminster townhouse owned by the senior Sky television executive Andrew Griffith.
The Tory leadership front-runner has used the Grade II-listed, five-storey home as his campaign HQ for at least four days, according to The Guardian.
And visitors have reportedly included senior Conservatives such as Jacob Rees-Mogg, Stephen Barclay, Gavin Williamson and Matt Hancock.
But while Johnson holes up in the lavish abode, an inflatable ‘Boris Blimp’ is making it way around Parliament Square after being launched by anti-Brexit protesters.
The balloon is inspired by the ‘Baby Trump’ blimp that mocked US President Donald Trump during his visit to the UK last month.
Boris Johnson leaves Andrew Griffith’s Westminster townhouse – where he is plotting his takeover of No.10
An inflatable ‘Boris Blimp’ (pictured) is making it way around Parliament Square after being launched by anti-Brexit protesters
Griffith, who is a former Conservative party candidate and currently Sky’s chief financial and chief operating officer, is believed to have gifted Johnson the use of his property.
He started on the board for Sky in 2008 – during Rupert Murdoch’s reign over the company when News Corp owned 39 per cent.
Johnson, who is expected to be made Prime Minister next week, is now said to be concentrating on strategy for his first 100 days in office – spending up to 13 hours a day at Griffith’s townhouse.
Hancock leads his ‘transition’ team alongside fellow Tory MPs Rishi Sunak and Oliver Dowden.
Griffith (pictured), who is a former Conservative party candidate and currently Sky’s chief financial and chief operating officer, is believed to have gifted Johnson the use of his property
Leading Eurosceptic Steve Baker is also thought to be helping with the plan for the first 100 days.
A campaign source for Johnson told the publication that Griffith had ‘kindly opened up his home’ to let the members meet there but was not taking part in the planning, while Sky said it was ‘a personal matter’.
Meanwhile, the ‘No to Boris, Yes to Europe’ demonstration will proceed from Mayfair’s Park Lane to Parliament Square in Westminster today.
The inflatable version of the former foreign secretary is wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with a red bus and the figure ‘£350m’ – a reference to Mr Johnson’s Brexit referendum promise of clawing back funding for the NHS.
Johnson’s official campaign headquarters is at 11 Lord North Street in Westminster – where Michael Portillo ran his doomed coup against John Major 24 years ago.
The £3.6 million home is owned by Tory peer and multi-millionaire Eurosceptic donor Greville Howard.