Curiously, with the whole of Whitehall waiting for a decision, Johnson slipped away for a ‘personal engagement’ that Thursday evening. It is not known why he considered it necessary to meet the Russian newspaper baron, Evgeny Lebedev, at that moment and disregard his own advice to avoid all ‘non-essential contact with others’. The owner of the Evening Standard and the Independent had in the past been a very generous host to the prime minister, inviting him to a lavish party at his Italian villa. But the purpose of the meeting remains a mystery. Later in the year it would emerge that Johnson
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