Earlier this year, a rumour swept the City, London's financial centre, that someone was looking for a £2 million loan for Boris Johnson, to be secured against future earnings.
No name was attached to the person seeking the advance on the prime minister’s behalf. Like much concerning Johnson and his private life, it was impossible to verify, would almost certainly be denied, but nevertheless had the ring of truth.
This was well before he resigned. Perhaps he knew there was not long to go; perhaps he required some ready cash anyway to maintain his lifestyle. Reports had been circulating that Johnson and his wife cavilled at the financial restrictions imposed upon them, that everything at their now-infamous parties had to be settled up by the family and marked paid by the housekeepers.
Who knows. But the reality is that very shortly, Johnson will require that sort of sum and possibly more if he wants to buy somewhere to live, presumably in central London, and wishes to educate his two young children with Carrie privately, the same route followed by their mother and father. There is the question, too, of his other children and the divorce settlement with his former wife Marina. How much he was obliged to pay her, and whether any of it is ongoing, has never been made public.
In the pantheon of recent UK premiers, Johnson may be tempted to look at Tony Blair as a measure of what is achievable. But Blair led the country for much longer; he fought and won three consecutive elections; and he was regarded on the global stage as a true international statesman, a heavyweight whose views were highly sought after.
He was also determinedly centrist, appealing across political, social and geographic divides. He was possessed, too, of a firm ideology ― something that has never defined Johnson. There is Blairism but there is no Johnsonism. Serious organisations were prepared to pay serious money to hear Blair speak. Even now, long after he left office, Blair is still in high demand.
Johnson is not going to be invited to give the keynote address at conferences assembled and paid for by big business, which is where the major cash resides. Davos and the Sun Valley chief executives’ summit are not going to rush to book him, not as a major scene-setter.
Hasta la vista, baby
Boris Johnson's last Prime Minister's Questions
Corporates remember all too well the profanity he issued in their direction. Nor will they forget the disregard he showed for business with his shambolic “Peppa Pig” speech to the CBI. There is nothing that Johnson can say that they will wish to hear.
He can take more reasonable comfort in the earnings enjoyed by his predecessor Theresa May. Not by any stretch a natural communicator, she has nevertheless been able to pick up substantial fees on the lecture circuit. Johnson may struggle, though, to match even her. May is a woman, and she does her homework. Send her a brief and May will follow it; send Johnson a brief and it is likely to remain unopened.
When Johnson was in City Hall, I witnessed him deliver the same, bravura speech three or four times in 12 months. It was the one about how he could claim to be the fourth biggest mayor in France, such were the numbers of French people who had relocated to London. He also trotted out boasts about the capital being the destination of choice for oligarchs, Arabs and Chinese.
That’s all it was, boosterism splurged out at a rate of knots. There was no depth to his words, and he made little attempt to temper what he was saying for his audience.
One was for a children’s reading charity. Some of us were wondering what on Earth any of this had to do with helping disadvantaged children learn to read and obtain access to books when, at the end, he suddenly referred to how vital it was that children learnt to read, that reading was tremendously important. Then he wrapped up. He offered no insight whatsoever as to how their literacy could be improved.
Nevertheless, people applauded. It was a knockabout turn and yes, in a way, refreshing compared with many of the dull speeches they were forced to endure. Good old Boris, always amusing.
That’s where his best prospects of making money lie, as a comedian and a writer. At a recent meeting in Downing Street with the head of one of the world’s largest industrial companies, Johnson was on his usual, knockabout, breezy form. That would be fine, except that his guest, a foreigner, was a cerebral businessman, a thinker as well as a doer.
The subject of the aviation sector came up. The multinational chieftain said the market had changed, that demand for wide-bodied aircraft had slipped. Johnson fixed him with a stare and said that was a pity, since “I like a wide-body”.
His visitor was nonplussed, in all his years meeting world leaders he’d never encountered anyone like Johnson, except for Donald Trump, maybe. For three years, the truth is, the UK has had a comedian in No 10. Perhaps that is why Johnson relates to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy so well, because Zelenskyy was a professional comic. But it’s hard to imagine Johnson maintaining the prolonged level of intensity and selfless courage that the embattled Ukrainian leader has displayed.
Those of us who have witnessed Johnson at close quarters have always known that. As a journalist in the House of Commons and at Brussels he was known for winging it, not reading reports, ignoring the detail, coming up with lines that were improbable (sure enough on occasion they did not stand up to scrutiny, and at least once he made up quotes and attributed them to a named individual). But he was a dream of a writer, even if his prose was littered with hyperbole and obscure classical references and prone to flights of fantasy.
His memoirs could command a hefty advance, although unlike those of former occupants of No 10, they will be read for their novelty and amusement value rather than for their accuracy. He’s supposed to be writing a biography of Shakespeare.
Again, the work, entitled Shakespeare: The Riddle of Genius, is unlikely to be studied by scholars of the bard, but may supply a humorous romp of a read ― Johnson’s equivalent of Blackadder.
That’s his best bet. It’s what he’s brilliant at, why he is so fondly viewed. He can make folks laugh in a way that Sir Keir Starmer or, come to that, May, Blair and yes, Rishi Sunak, will never do. Put him back in the compere’s chair of Have I Got News For You and the audience numbers will soar. Likewise, book him for Strictly Come Dancing or I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here ― anything where he can act the buffoon, exploiting his talent to amuse.
He will rake in the money, alright ― but only if he plays the entertainer who became prime minister, and what a hoot that was.
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The%20specs
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
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The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
WHAT ARE NFTs?
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are tokens that represent ownership of unique items. They allow the tokenisation of things such as art, collectibles and even real estate.
An NFT can have only one official owner at one time. And since they're minted and secured on the Ethereum blockchain, no one can modify the record of ownership, not even copy-paste it into a new one.
This means NFTs are not interchangeable and cannot be exchanged with other items. In contrast, fungible items, such as fiat currencies, can be exchanged because their value defines them rather than their unique properties.
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Expert input
If you had all the money in the world, what’s the one sneaker you would buy or create?
“There are a few shoes that have ‘grail’ status for me. But the one I have always wanted is the Nike x Patta x Parra Air Max 1 - Cherrywood. To get a pair in my size brand new is would cost me between Dh8,000 and Dh 10,000.” Jack Brett
“If I had all the money, I would approach Nike and ask them to do my own Air Force 1, that’s one of my dreams.” Yaseen Benchouche
“There’s nothing out there yet that I’d pay an insane amount for, but I’d love to create my own shoe with Tinker Hatfield and Jordan.” Joshua Cox
“I think I’d buy a defunct footwear brand; I’d like the challenge of reinterpreting a brand’s history and changing options.” Kris Balerite
“I’d stir up a creative collaboration with designers Martin Margiela of the mixed patchwork sneakers, and Yohji Yamamoto.” Hussain Moloobhoy
“If I had all the money in the world, I’d live somewhere where I’d never have to wear shoes again.” Raj Malhotra
T20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
Results
UAE beat Nigeria by five wickets
Hong Kong beat Canada by 32 runs
Friday fixtures
10am, Tolerance Oval, Abu Dhabi – Ireland v Jersey
7.30pm, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi – Canada v Oman
A general guide to how active you are:
Less than 5,000 steps - sedentary
5,000 - 9,999 steps - lightly active
10,000 - 12,500 steps - active
12,500 - highly active
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The specs: 2018 Renault Koleos
Price, base: From Dh77,900
Engine: 2.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 170hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 233Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.3L / 100km
$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
T20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Qualifier A, Muscat
(All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv)
Fixtures
Friday, February 18: 10am Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm Semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm Final
UAE squad:Ahmed Raza(captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
heading
Iran has sent five planeloads of food to Qatar, which is suffering shortages amid a regional blockade.
A number of nations, including Iran's major rival Saudi Arabia, last week cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of funding terrorism, charges it denies.
The land border with Saudi Arabia, through which 40% of Qatar's food comes, has been closed.
Meanwhile, mediators Kuwait said that Qatar was ready to listen to the "qualms" of its neighbours.
AT%20A%20GLANCE
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Scores
Rajasthan Royals 160-8 (20 ov)
Kolkata Knight Riders 163-3 (18.5 ov)
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Planes grounded by coronavirus
British Airways: Cancels all direct flights to and from mainland China
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific: Cutting capacity to/from mainland China by 50 per cent from Jan. 30
Chicago-based United Airlines: Reducing flights to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong
Ai Seoul: Suspended all flights to China
Finnair: Suspending flights to Nanjing and Beijing Daxing until the end of March
Indonesia's Lion Air: Suspending all flights to China from February
South Korea's Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and Jin Air: Suspend all flights
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
