Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
TORIES ARE HIT BY NEW SLEAZE CLAIMS Will you pay for the PM’S nanny?
Nandy: Johnson does not think we deserve truth
BORIS Johnson faces a fresh storm over claims a Tory donor was approached to pay for his son’s nanny.
As allegations of government sleaze grow, the PM faces questions over how he pays for his lavish lifestyle – including the luxury revamp of his Downing Street flat, and his celebrity personal trainer.
Mr Johnson is said to have complained to friends that his £157,000 salary – five times the national average – is inadequate and that he needs £300,000 to “keep his head above water”.
An MP received a complaint from a Tory donor, who said they were asked to fund a nanny for Mr Johnson’s one-yearold son Wilfred, it has been claimed.
The donor allegedly said: “I don’t mind paying for leaflets but I resent being asked to pay to literally wipe the Prime Minister’s baby’s bottom.”
No10 has not denied donors were approached and would only say the PM “has covered the cost of all childcare”.
As with the payments for the flat makeover, the spokeswoman did not respond when asked if Mr Johnson paid for the original bill himself or had reimbursed somebody.
It is also claimed Tory chiefs forked out for the PM’S personal trainer and a personal chef when he was hospitalised with Covid. Party co-chairman Ben Elliot has denied both allegations.
Mr Johnson has been seen jogging with personal trainer Harry Jameson, who charges £165 an hour and has celebrity clients including Love Island presenter Laura Whitmore and former England footballer Wayne Bridge.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab dismissed questions about the Prime Minister’s personal spending as “tittle tattle”, adding he had “no idea” if a donor had been asked to pay for Mr Johnson’s childcare.
But Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “There’s an arrogance at the heart of this that [Mr Johnson] seems to believe we don’t deserve to know the truth about what goes on in government.
“We need to know who [he] is beholden to.
“We need to know what he has promised in return. This is about integrity… and it’s about whether there’s one rule for them and one rule for everyone else.” Mr Johnson has previously been rapped by Parliament’s
We need to know what he has promised in return.. this is about integrity LISA NANDY ON SIGNIFICANCE OF THE JOHNSON DONOR SAGA
authorities for being sloppy with his financial affairs.
In 2019 he was forced to apologise after failing to properly declare a property interest in Somerset. A Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards report
Donor ‘complains about cash for nappy changing’
said he had broken rules by declaring interests late on various occasions.
Mr Johnson has again been reported to the Commissioner, this time over the flat refurb. If found to have broken the rules, the PM could face a suspension from the Commons. In total, Mr Johnson faces three formal probes into his finances.
The Electoral Commission is investigating whether conduct over the flat broke the laws on political donations.
It will look at whether financial details were published as required.
Mr Johnson has denied breaking any laws but has refused to say if he received an initial loan from the Tory Party. No10 has insisted the PM – who had a costly divorce from his wife of 25 years Marina Wheeler – paid for fiancee Carrie Symonds’ £58,000 refurbishment of the apartment.
Mr Johnson, who has not declared any loan for the cost of the revamp, also faces internal investigations. One is by Cabinet Secretary Simon Case.
The other is by Lord Geidt, Mr Johnson’s “independent adviser” on the Ministerial Code, over whether his behaviour was within the rules.
The PM can over-rule Lord Geidt’s conclusions – as he did with the previous adviser’s report into claims of bullying against Priti Patel.
On top of the Greensill lobbying row and allegations of cronyism, Mr Johnson has been accused of saying he would rather see “bodies pile high” than impose a third Covid lockdown.