What is really going on in politics? Get our daily email briefing straight to your inbox Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Boris Johnson waived a £6,000 fee for Hard Brexit pals to host a boozy launch party on government property, it's been revealed.

The Cabinet minister is accused of misleading parliament after he let the Institute for Free Trade (IFT) use the opulent Foreign Office's Map Room for free.

The Foreign Secretary spoke personally at September's launch of the IFT, whose founder Daniel Hannan wants Britain to become a low-tax Singapore-style economy after Brexit .

Whitehall's ethics chief demanded the think tank pay the "full commercial rate" for hiring the room.

But the IFT's fee was still waived - because the event had already happened.

The revelation, contained in newly-released e-mails, comes despite Mr Johnson telling the House of Commons just two days ago: "There was no cost to the public purse."

Labour MP Chris Bryant said tonight: "It seems to me that Boris misled parliament.

(Image: Moment Open) (Image: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Follow /Flickr)

"It is patently untrue to say that there was no cost to the public purse.

"The government's own ethics adviser said the group should have been charged."

E-mails released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal how the Foreign Secretary was personally involved in allowing the room to be used for free.

Two of the three agenda items for the event on September 27 - where Trade Secretary Liam Fox also spoke - involved "drinks".

And the IFT boasted how the Map Room contained the fireplace Nelson and Wellington leaned on in their only meeting.

Boris Johnson first agreed to host the event in "a discussion" with Mr Hannan in March or April 2017, the e-mails suggest.

A Foreign Office staff member wrote to Mr Johnson's Special Advisor, David Frost, on June 28 last year to confirm the booking.

(Image: Foreign Office/FOI)

The staff member wrote: "The Locarno Suite will be booked in the FS's [Foreign Secretary's] name.

"The [Foreign Office] will have lost income on the hire of the room (about £6,000...).

"Is the FS aware of that and content to sign it off?"

Mr Frost replied two minutes later: "He is OK with this."

(Image: Foreign Office/FOI)

Months later, after the event, concerns were raised about the arrangement with head of government ethics Sue Gray.

An e-mail to Mr Frost declared bluntly: "Sue Gray is clear that IFT should pay the room fee, at full commercial rate".

But the IFT never had to pay up.

(Image: Foreign Office/FOI)

The Foreign Office said it had now reviewed its room hire policy, and it now "makes clear that non-government organisations must pay a fee."

Yet officials "decided it would not be appropriate" to bill the IFT a hire fee retrospectively, the Foreign Office said.

An official added: "The event was held in line with the longstanding FCO policy that applied at the time."

Doug Parr of Greenpeace, which unearthed the e-mails, said: "It looks like Boris Johnson and Liam Fox pulled out all the stops to help launch a new pressure group that wants to weaken precious British standards around food, animal welfare and the environment - the very areas Gove and May claim will be protected when we leave the EU.

"The IFT advocates the hardest of Brexits to secure a trade deal with Trump’s America.

"Now we know the British people helped pay for their coming out party."

(Image: REUTERS)

On Tuesday Mr Johnson told the House of Commons there was "no cost to the public purse", the event was "completely non-partisan" and Labour members were present.

He added the event was "absolutely blameless", saying: "It was fully in line with Foreign and Commonwealth Office rules on hosting such events, and I have here a letter from the Cabinet Secretary to confirm that".

Labour MP Mr Bryant said at the time: "The truth is that this was a private party ​which was going on on Government premises, sanctioned by the Foreign Secretary.

"He has been trying to dress up a tinpot bunch of ideological crackpots as an institute, quite against the law.

"And he has broken the ministerial code. He has been caught in flagrante delicto."

A Foreign Office source denied Boris Johnson had misled Parliament about whether the event cost the public money - stressing the IFT paid for everything except the waived hire fee.

A spokesman said: "The Cabinet Secretary has made clear he does not believe the event or its organisation raises any issues with the Ministerial Code, the Special Advisers’ Code, or the Civil Service Code."