Butler smuggled £27,000 organic takeaways into No.10 and some ‘was paid for by wife of Tory donor’

Boris Johnson faced fresh questions last night as the full story of the secret operation to supply him with £27,000 worth of luxury food was disclosed.

The Daily Mail can reveal the extraordinary cloak-and-dagger operation to send him and fiancee Carrie Symonds freshly prepared meals and hampers at No 10 without voters finding out.

Codenames were used for the Prime Minister and the wife of a rich Tory donor who organised daily deliveries to the No 10 back door.

The food was smuggled in after being dropped off by a butler on one of London’s rented ‘Boris bikes’.

According to documents seen by this newspaper, at least some of the items were paid for by the wife of the Tory donor. That would appear to be at odds with Mr Johnson’s claim earlier this year that he has paid for all his food at No 10.

It will add to pressure on Mr Johnson, already facing inquiries into his controversial holiday in Mustique and his Downing Street flat makeover.

Questions have been raised over whether his personal trainer and the nanny for Wilfred, his son with Miss Symonds, have been funded by Tory donors.

The food and drink were provided by the elite Daylesford organic farm shops, owned by Lady (Carole) Bamford, from last May to February. She is married to the owner of the JCB construction giant. Lord Bamford and his companies have given £10million to the Conservatives.

The Daylesford dishes, rich in iron, protein and vitamins, were designed to revive Mr Johnson’s energy levels after his brush with death after contracting Covid.

The leaked documents reveal:

• The Prime Minister received £27,000 worth of organic food and drink, including wine, plus delivery costs.

• It was supplied at ‘cost price’ – about one third off, reducing the bill to £18,900.

• Some items are marked as ‘charged to LB’s account’ – code for Lady Bamford.

• Mr Johnson is referred to as ‘Alex’ – after his real first name, Alexander – in confidential memos.

• Staff were told to use ‘plain white paper bags’ for the meal deliveries, not ones with a Daylesford logo, for ‘discretion’.

The Mail reported in March how the deliveries, including breakfast, lunch and dinner, were smuggled in to Downing Street. At the time Mr Johnson denied the Bamfords paid for his food deliveries. A Downing Street spokesman said: ‘The costs of the food for personal consumption are met by the Prime Minister.’

The Mail estimated then that it was worth approximately £12,500. We can now reveal it was worth well over double that amount. 

Mr Johnson, like all MPs, must declare any donation or gift worth more than £500 in the Commons Register of Interests within a month. If gifts or services are supplied below cost price, the full market value must be declared. There is no reference to Daylesford deliveries in his current entry.

The leaked emails reveal that the meals were part of a wider fitness regime including the Prime Minister’s personal trainer Harry Jameson, a ‘wellness business consultant’.

An email from Daylesford’s chef director to Lady Bamford’s personal assistant, headed ‘Alex Wellness Plan’, refers to Mr Jameson.

The email sent on May 22 says: ‘Further to Harry’s first training session with Alex on Wednesday, please find the following 7-day cafe menu adhering to Alex’s condition.

‘Alex has discussed the pressure on food preparation and a tendency to resort to takeaways. This is something we can help with by sending pre-prepped meals that would be fast and easy to finish in their own kitchen. Due to Alex’s recent illness, we have been especially mindful of his protein levels while still keeping the menu varied and light. There are some treats as well, and Alex’s favourite vegetables have been included.’

A second email from the chef director to Lady Bamford’s PA gives instructions on how the food is to be collected at 11am each day from Daylesford’s Brompton Cross shop in London, two miles from Downing Street.

The sensitive task was given to Lady Bamford’s personal butler, Paul Mitchell, to ensure maximum secrecy. Mr Mitchell, 44, serves the Bamfords at their London home in Knightsbridge, a short walk from Brompton Cross.

The second email, sent on May 28 and headed ‘Alex daily food delivery’, says: ‘Daily collection from Daylesford Brompton Cross at 11am by Paul. Food will be parcelled in plain white paper bags – rather than Daylesford branded – for discretion.

‘The menu for the week will be sent on Day 1. A note specifically for Lady Bamford, a menu for the following week will be sent every Tuesday going forward. All costs will be cost price.’

Other memos refer to ‘charging attached costs for Alex’s food from Brompton Cross to LB (Lady Bamford’s) account’.

They say Lady Bamford, referred to as ‘LB’ throughout, personally ‘approved’ Mr Johnson’s ‘wellness’ menu. The memos indicate that the food is to be charged at ‘cost price’ – 30 per cent lower than for usual customers. One Daylesford document estimates the weekly cost of three daily meals for Mr Johnson and Miss Symonds, including delivery by Uber minicab, at £840.

In fact, the meals were usually delivered by Mr Mitchell on a rented ‘Boris bike’, introduced in London when Mr Johnson was the city’s mayor, in plain white bags as instructed. There is a ‘Boris bike’ docking station outside Daylesford’s Brompton Cross store.

The weekly hamper arrived by car each Tuesday in a marked Daylesford box, with the meals and a bouquet of flowers. Mr Johnson was so determined to keep the deliveries secret, the hampers were allowed to bypass anti-terrorist checks at the front gate, causing concern among some No 10 staff.

Over the eight-month period, Mr Johnson and Miss Symonds received breakfast, lunch and dinner deliveries on 125 days and lunch only on some days. The meals would cost a full-paying customer about £21,000 including the food and delivery fees.

Mr Johnson is thought to have received 30 hampers. At full price they are approximately £200 each, a total of £6,000, making £27,000 in all. Last night a Downing Street spokesman said: ‘The costs of food for personal consumption are entirely met by Boris Johnson.’ 

A Government source said Mr Johnson had paid for the Daylesford hampers.