Arcuri denies any Boris favouritism
THE US businesswoman at the centre of a storm over her links to Boris Johnson insisted she “never, ever” received favouritism, but refused to say whether they had an affair.
Jennifer Arcuri said she and Mr Johnson, who she saved on her phone as “Alex the Great”, bonded over their “mutual love of classic literature”.
The technology entrepreneur and former model refused to answer when asked whether she had had a sexual relationship with Mr Johnson, saying that it is “really categorically no-one’s business what private life we had, or didn’t have”.
Asked about Ms Arcuri’s interview, Mr Johnson told the BBC later yesterday morning: “I’ve really said everything I want to say about that.”
Ms Arcuri was speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain following a series of stories about her links to the Prime Minister during his tenure as London mayor.
The businesswoman, who said she met Mr Johnson for the first time in October 2011, was asked if their friendship had developed into an intimate relationship.
She said “it wasn’t like he singled me out”, adding: “He is there to, you know, talk to anybody who gets in his face enough. And he was always a really good friend.
“And I think it’s quite unfortunate that it becomes that a good friend, who has now been, you know, now I’m dragged into the middle of this horrific scandal, you know, and the answer that I’m going to give is now going to be weaponised against this man.
“It’s really categorically no-one’s business what private life we had, or didn’t have. But – and categorically more important – Boris never, ever gave me favouritism. Never once did I ask him for a favour. Never once did he write a letter of recommendation for me. He didn’t know about my asking to go to trips.”
Labour’s shadow chancellor John McDonnell said that regardless of the exact nature of Mr Johnson’s relationship with Ms Arcuri, it is clear that the pair were “close” and that he “misled the public when he said ‘there was no interest to declare”.’
He said: “The Prime Minister is unfit for office. This morning has thrown up even more questions for Boris Johnson, which can only be answered with a full investigation into the apparent misuse of public funds.”
Ms Arcuri said Mr Johnson had visited her flat in Shoreditch – also where her office was based – a “handful” of times, adding that she did not have time for the media attention surrounding him when they met in public.
She added: “We tried having drinks out in public or having lunch; it just became too much of a mob show, so I said ‘You just have to come to my office.’”
She said the Prime Minister had been at her flat “five, 10, a handful of times”.