Charity ‘blocked’ government bid to appoint Stanley Johnson as Cop26 ambassador

Exclusive: The request was turned down after a revolt by senior WWF figures who argued it would be “totally inappropriate”

Boris Johnson is facing fresh claims of nepotism after it was revealed that charity bosses had blocked a government bid to appoint the prime minister’s father as an “ambassador” at last year’s Cop26 climate change summit.

The wildlife charity WWF threw out a request by environment minister Zac Goldsmith, a close friend of the prime minister and his wife Carrie Johnson, to add Stanley Johnson, 81, to its team of experts at the United Nations conference.

A well-placed source told The Independent that the government was “desperate for Stanley to be able to go [to Cop26] in an official capacity”. The source said the request was turned down after a revolt by senior WWF figures, who argued it would be “totally inappropriate”.