Full Breakdown
Alleged Plot to Deface Daylesford Estate Lawn Ahead of Boris Johnson’s Wedding Celebration
9/7/2026, 11:49:06 PM
Alleged Plot to Deface Daylesford Estate Lawn
Jurors at Southwark Crown Court heard that Tim Speers, 41, of Fairfield Road in Bude, Cornwall, was approached by police on a Cotswold estate because he appeared “quite out of place.” The former prime minister was due to celebrate his marriage to Carrie Johnson at the Daylesford Estate the following day. Police said they found Speers and another man carrying spray-paint cans and super-glue, along with cans of beer. Speers denies possessing the items with intent to damage property.
Trial Details and Alleged Plan
Prosecutor Christiaan Moll told the court that a voice note recorded by Speers the day before his arrest was recovered. In the recording, Speers said he had been asked by two people from “Palestine Action” to take part in “action” that he had “agreed to do.” Moll said the note also linked Lord Anthony Bamford, the estate’s owner and a Conservative Party donor, to the Israeli government’s use of JCB machinery in Palestinian territories. The prosecution expects Speers to admit possession of the paint and glue but anticipates he will claim he abandoned the plan after seeing the security presence.
Official Statements & Responses
The court hearing noted that the Daylesford Estate, owned by Lord Anthony Bamford, was set to host the Johnsons’ wedding celebrations on 30 July 2023, with marquees and hay bales arranged on the grounds. Speers has maintained that he was on holiday and that he possessed no items intended for vandalism. No comment has been recorded from Lord Bamford or the Johnsons regarding the alleged plot.
Verbatim Quotes
- “There's this big heart mowed into his lawn, so the idea is to just go up to it and write Palestine in red paint, through a weed sprayer.” — Prosecutor Christiaan Moll — Prosecutor Christiaan Moll
