PM could face a 2nd probe over decor bill
THE Cabinet Secretary has been urged to investigate whether Boris Johnson broke the ministerial code to pay for his lavish Downing Street flat refurbishment.
Labour asked Simon Case to look into the ‘ eye- watering’ amounts said to have been spent on the revamp, which included gold wall coverings.
It follows a series of disclosures by the Daily Mail about the financing of decor and furnishings for the apartment the Prime Minister, 56, shares with fiancee Carrie Symonds, 33.
Last week, the Mail revealed election watchdogs are probing a secret £60,000 payment for the makeover
‘Murky payments’
to determine whether it broke the rules. Labour MP Sarah Owen wrote to Mr Case yesterday calling for ‘transparency and clear explanations’ over the ‘murky’ payments.
Urging an investigation, she wrote: ‘It is vital the facts behind the costs of this refurbishment are established and published in full. This isn’t just about whether the taxes of hard-working people have contributed to spun gold wallpaper.
‘The lack of openness means that there are so many questions relating to matters of transparency, probity, judgment and whether the Ministerial Code has been broken.’
She emphasised that the ministerial code requires ministers to avoid the danger of any actual or perceived conflict of interest between their position and their private financial interests. It comes after the Conservative Party paid a £60,000 bill for the refurbishment of Mr Johnson’s flat. Tory donor Lord Brownlow secretly reimbursed the party six months ago.
The code also states that ministers should be as open as possible with Parliament and the public and should provide information.
The MP asked how much had been spent, what it had been spent on, and how the suppliers for the refurbishment were chosen. Downing Street has not denied the reports and has stated that details of the refurbishment will be provided in a Cabinet Office report. It has not said when this will be published. Mr Johnson denies any impropriety.
■ The Prime Minister will make his debut appearance in the new White House-style briefing room at a lockdown press conference on Monday. Officials confirmed the £2.6million refurbishment at No 9 Downing Street – which critics have branded a ‘vanity project’ – is finished.