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Revealing Johnson’s talks with BP not ‘in public interest’, UK government says
By: []
Date: 2021-12
Details of a meeting between Boris Johnson and oil company BP are to be kept secret, the UK government has said, claiming it would “not be in the public interest” to reveal what was discussed.
The news comes as world leaders meet in Glasgow for the COP26 climate conference, where Johnson is calling for “ambitious commitments”.
The prime minister met BP’s CEO, Bernard Looney, in September last year to discuss the oil giant’s “ambitions to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, supporting the government’s green agenda and COP26”.
But when the government was asked by journalist Russell Scott to release copies of the minutes and agenda from the meeting, it refused.
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Scott’s request is one of many climate-related Freedom of Information (FOI) requests rejected by the Cabinet Office – with only a handful granted in full.
Replying to Scott, the Cabinet Office said: “It would not be in the public interest to threaten the candour of all involved, if they were to take the view that the content of the discussions would be disclosed prematurely.”
It also said it was important to “ensure that the commercial interests of external companies are not damaged or undermined”.
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