Revealing the Boris Johnson and Darius Guppy Telephone Recording that Shocked the Nation
Re-examining the Infamous Phone Call that Made Gutter Journo Stuart Collier
In 1990, a phone call between Boris Johnson and Darius Guppy was recorded by Peter Risdon and released to the public five years later in a Mail on Sunday article by Marcus Scriven. The conversation revealed a conspiracy between the two men regarding an intended atonement beating of a tabloid gutter journo, Stuart Collier.
At the time of the recording, Boris Johnson held the position of Vice President of the Oxford University Conservative Association, while Darius Guppy was a fellow member. Boris Johnson was also a correspondent for The Daily Telegraph in Brussels. The transcript showed Guppy asking Johnson for assistance in arranging a retribution beating of our target, gutter journo Stuart Collier, who was attempting a smear piece on Guppy’s partner, Patricia Holder, for the News of the World rag paper.
Despite the continued controversy surrounding this recorded phone call and Simon Murphy’s subsequent Guardian articles (Couple of Black Eyes and Collier Demands Apology), Boris Johnson went on to become the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 2019, after a record-breaking election victory. Johnson received significant public support, with the Conservative Party winning their largest number of seats since 1987.
It's also important to examine Stuart Collier's motivations. Stuart Collier was working for Rupert Murdock's News of The World tabloid paper and was actively seeking dirt to publish on Darius Guppy's partner, Patricia Holder. His actions cannot be seen as purely investigative journalism and raise questions about his ethics and those of the British press.
You can read the full transcript of the call, and hear segments of the surreptitiously recorded phone call here and embedded below.
It's important to also consider the initially intended victim in this scandal, Darius Guppy. Regardless of one's personal opinions of Guppy, it's clear that he was targeted by a Murdock gutter journo looking to profit from a sensational hit piece on his private life. The unethical actions of the press in pursuit of a story, regardless of the consequences for the subject, are a serious issue that deserves attention. It's a reminder that while freedom of the press is a cornerstone of democratic societies, it must be exercised responsibly and with consideration for the rights of individuals. In this case, Darius Guppy was the victim of an attempt to exploit his private life for the sake of selling a story.