UK's ex-PM Boris Johnson's new company faces scrutiny over controversial meeting with uranium lobbyist

The former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom came under major scrutiny after reports emerged that he failed to disclose the fact that he met with a uranium lobbyist while he was in office. According to The Observer, what makes the meeting controversial is the fact that it took place right before the British premier entered into a new business with a controversial Iranian-Canadian uranium entrepreneur.

Johnson’s new company, Better Earth Limited, also came under scrutiny after it employed Charlotte Owen, a junior aide with just a few years of work experience, whom he elevated to the House of Lords last year at the age of 29. Transparency campaigners also noted that there appear to be “serious public interest questions to be answered” over the nature and timeline of Johnson’s relationship with his co-director, Amir Adnani.

Adnani is the founder, president and CEO of Uranium Energy Corp, which is a US-based mining and exploration company, championed by former US President Donald Trump’s advisor, Steve Bannon.

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Collaboration between Johnson and Adnani

Amir Adnani is the director of a network of offshore companies based in the British Virgin Islands. The Canadian citizen incorporated Better Earth into his business empire last year. On May 1, Companies House filings revealed that “The Rt Hon Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson” was added as a director and co-chairman of the entity.

In the summer of this year, Owen joined the company to work alongside Johnson as Better Earth’s vice president, The Observer reported. In April 2024, the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), which oversees ex-ministerial appointments, explicitly warned Johnson about the “broad overlap” between his role in the office and his company, along with the “unknown risks” it entails because of the lack of transparency over the firm’s clients.

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“The unknown nature of Better Earth’s clients – specifically that there is a risk of a client engaging in lobbying the UK government,” the statement from the Cabinet Office at that time noted. “the unknown nature of Better Earth’s clients – specifically that there is a risk of a client engaging in lobbying the UK government,” The Observer reported.

Meanwhile, Johnson’s team reassured Acoba that the former premier “did not meet with, nor did he make any decisions specific to Better Earth” during his time in the office. However, the latest reports suggest that Johnson met Scott Melbye, the executive vice president of Uranium Energy Corp – Adnani’s company – while he was in office.

After the meeting in 2022, Adnani wrote on X, then Twitter, that Melbye and Johnson spoke about “nuclear power and uranium”. However, this was not recorded in the British premier’s official diary. Just days before leaving office, Johnson announced a £700m investment in the controversial Sizewell C reactor, stating the country needed to “Go nuclear, go large!”.

Among those who cheered about the plan was Adnani. “Boris Johnson plans to sign off on new £30bn nuclear plant in his final week in power! #uranium,” he wrote on X at that time.

The whole saga also raised questions about Johnson’s ties with Owen, an erstwhile junior political adviser who was eventually appointed to the House of Lords. Many question the fact that, with just a few years of job experience under her belt, she now holds the position for life. She eventually got a senior role in Better Earth as well. This made many question if she was qualified for either of the jobs.