Boris Johnson’s brother got a top job with Dyson just before THAT text exchange

Boris Johnson James Dyson and Jo Johnson
Support us and go ad-free

Boris Johnson’s brother got a job with James Dyson just weeks before the hoover magnate was texting the PM. The revelation raises further questions about the links between the government and Dyson. It’s also emblematic of the cosy relationships between the Tories and big business.

Hoovering up tax?

As The Canary previously reported, Johnson has been at the centre of another scandal:

a series of text messages between Johnson and Dyson after the latter was unable to get the assurances he was seeking from the Treasury.

The exchanges took place in March last year at the start of the pandemic. It was when the government was appealing to firms to supply ventilators because it was worried the NHS could run out. So, Dyson wrote to the Treasury. He asked for an assurance his staff would not pay extra tax if they came to the UK to work on the project.

But when he failed to receive a reply… he took up the matter directly with the PM.

The BBC mocked up a graphic to show the text messages:

Johnson Dyson Text Messages

Read on...

Support us and go ad-free

Johnson essentially claimed there’s ‘nothing to see here’. But he also said he would publish the text messages. So far, this hasn’t happened. Also, as The Canary previously reported, it’s still not clear if Dyson got any tax breaks for his staff or not. This is despite the ventilators in question never being supplied.

But now, it’s come to light that there’s a direct Johnson family connection to Dyson. And it started just before Dyson himself was lobbying the PM.

Dyson: it’s a family affair?

The Twitter account My Little Crony (feel free to chuckle) was created by student Sophie Hill. The account has put out that Johnson’s brother Joseph Edmund (known as Jo) works for Dyson. As they tweeted:

Jo got the job on 18 February 2020. So, as My Little Crony pointed out:

The company is listed as Dyson Technical Training Limited. But its front-facing name is the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology. It’s a higher education provider. The Dyson Institute specialises in training engineers. Of note is that the Dyson Institute credits Jo as being some sort of inspiration to set up the company. It’s a direct subsidiary of the Dyson company.

The corruption that doesn’t lose suction?

There’s nothing to indicate Jo has done anything wrong. He’s no longer an MP, and the parliamentary watchdog on former MPs’ new jobs didn’t seem to have an issue with Jo’s new role. It is led by Tory Lord Eric Pickles; also investigating allegations of Tory corruption. Also, there’s nothing to say that Jo had any involvement in his brother’s text message chat with Dyson.

Now, if you had a suspicious mind, you could ponder whether or not Jo had a quiet word with his brother on behalf of Dyson. Or even if Jo gave Dyson his brother’s mobile number. The Canary couldn’t possibly comment. You can make up your own mind.

But what this does show is that once again the links between the Tories and big business are closer than is comfortable.

Featured image via Chatham House – Flickr, James Dyson – Wikimedia and the Estonian President – Flickr 

Support us and go ad-free

We know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support

The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.

The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.

So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.

Support us