Boris Johnson is making a new move after he and his wife Carrie claimed victory after a planning battle at their £3.8 million manor in Oxfordshire.
The former prime minister is now set to speak at the Economic Times World Leaders Forum 2026, where he will offer his views on geopolitics, trade and the changing relationship between India and the West.
According to The Economic Times, the New Delhi event will also feature major business figures including Marriott International chief executive Anthony Capuano and Boston Consulting Group chief executive Christoph Schweizer.
Advertising executive Sir Martin Sorrell is due to share his experience of building global businesses and making deals, while JPMorgan investment-banking chair Anu Aiyengar will bring expertise from major mergers and acquisitions.
The forum will examine the effects of artificial intelligence, trade and shifting global economic conditions on companies and economies, with Indian entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley also expected to take part.
This comes after a planning victory for Mr Johnson at his Brightwell Manor in the village of Brightwell, near Wallingford.
He bought the 400-year-old, Grade II-listed country house for roughly £3.8 million in early 2023.
In June, the 62-year-old had applied to South Oxfordshire District Council to reduce five lime trees in his back garden by three metres in height.
He has also asked for permission to reduce the lateral spread of the overgrown trees by two metres and remove deadwood.
A South Oxfordshire planning officer raised no objection, and therefore Mr Johnson’s agents Tom Cottrell Landscapes are free to proceed with the work.
No further objections were received during the consultation period.
In June, Mr Johnson was also given permission by the authority to remove the willow and two ash trees from the gardens.
In his written case to the authority, Mr Johnson said the willow should be removed because falling leaves “keep filling up the pool and filter – causing damage to the filter” and added that he hoped to replace it with “a new shed”.
Plans also cover two ash trees: a smaller ash suffering from ash dieback and a larger multi‑stemmed tree described as being “too big for the location and [which] shades a new patio area”.
The former mayor of London stressed that he intends to “replant many trees in due course”, indicating that new planting is expected elsewhere in the extensive gardens.
Mr Johnson was first elected Conservative MP for Henley in 2001, serving until he stood down in 2008 after winning the London mayoral election.
He was Mayor of London from 2008 to 2016, before becoming Prime Minister in July 2019, and he remained in Downing Street until September 2022.
