Boris Johnson, the former prime minister, is being sounded out about an executive role with The Daily Telegraph in a move which could reunite him with one of his former cabinet colleagues.
Sky News has learnt that Mr Johnson has held preliminary, informal talks with Nadhim Zahawi about a possible job with the right-leaning newspaper publisher if an offer being assembled by the former chancellor is successful.
A source close to Mr Johnson insisted on Monday that no agreement was in place and no formal talks were taking place, although they acknowledged that the idea was “floating around”.
However, people involved in the Telegraph bidding process said that Mr Zahawi had raised the idea of Mr Johnson becoming the Telegraph’s global editor-in-chief with prospective investors in his bid.
Mr Johnson, who now writes a column for The Daily Mail, previously worked for the Telegraph, both as a correspondent in Brussels and more recently as a highly paid columnist.
“He still holds the Telegraph in high affection,” said a person close to the former PM.
Sky News revealed last month that Mr Zahawi had approached a string of billionaires about backing an offer for the newspaper and The Spectator, both of which are on the market after an Abu Dhabi state-backed takeover was blocked by the last Conservative administration.
SkyNews Report
