BORIS JOHNSON is at the centre of a new corruption scandal after leaked papers showed that the ex-premier has been using public money to support his private business interests since leaving office.

All former prime ministers receive a grant of taxpayers’ money to support them in their public duties, but Mr Johnson has allegedly been using the cash — nearly £200,000 to date — to further his commercial activities too.

According to the Guardian, Mr Johnson was also paid nearly a quarter of a million pounds by a hedge fund manager after meeting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The official ethics watchdog is probing the reports, which will embarrass Tory leader Kemi Badenoch as she attempts fitfully to distance herself from the party’s recent past.

Senior politicians also called for a ban on the payments to Mr Johnson, whose drive to self-enrich was barely put on hold even when he was in Downing Street and has only been turbo-charged since.

Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney said that the “allegations are extremely shocking.

“The government must suspend Boris Johnson’s access to the former prime minister public duty cost allowance pending a full and proper investigation.”

And Labour commented that Mr Johnson had “serious questions to answer about his behaviour during Covid and about his activities after being forced out of office in disgrace.”

Mr Johnson himself has not commented on the revelations, which also showed that he made more than £5 million for making speeches in the 18 months since he stepped down as prime minister.