Boris Johnson has bought a £3.8 million, nine-bedroom mansion with a three-sided moat in Oxfordshire.
The former prime minister acquired the grade II listed property without a mortgage, according to reports. He is said to have personally negotiated a deal at £200,000 below the £4 million asking price after twice viewing the home.
Johnson and his wife Carrie will live at the property with their two young children. Since leaving No 10, they have been living rent-free at a £20 million London townhouse and a Cotswolds cottage provided by wealthy Tory donors.
Johnson was said to have struggled to make ends meet while serving as prime minister on an annual salary of £164,080.
He had to meet the costs of an expensive divorce and was eventually forced to pick up the six-figure bill for a lavish refurbishment of the Downing Street flat, which included £840-a-roll gold wallpaper.
Johnson’s financial situation has been transformed since he lost a vote of confidence and resigned as Conservative Party leader last year, with earnings from the lucrative speaking circuit.
He earned nearly £5 million within five months of leaving No 10, including a £2.5 million advance from the Harry Walker speakers agency.
Boris Johnson’s finances have been transformed since he was forced out of Downing Street, banking £5 million in speaking fees in a few months
Johnson has given speeches in America, India and Singapore and been paid a £510,000 advance for his memoirs.
The country house in Oxfordshire is close to his former Henley constituency and had been on the market for four years, the Sunday Mirror reported.
It boasts “period features” and has six reception rooms, five bathrooms, a walled garden, a tennis court and the three-sided moat. There is also a one-bedroom guest cottage dating to the mid-19th century in the grounds and a double garage.
Source: The Times
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