Prime minister asked Arcuri to ‘show him a few things’ on pole

US tech entrepreneur says she bonded with PM over ‘Shakespeare’

The SNP have called for a public inquiry and repeated calls for Boris Johnson to resign as prime minister over allegations he breached rules while Mayor of London with US businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri.

Ms Arcuri gave her first TV interview since the row erupted over her links to Mr Johnson.

He is accused of helping her win public money and access to trade trips.

She said the prime minister asked her to “show him a few things” on the poledancing pole in her London flat during the “handful” of times he visited when he was London mayor.

She added during ITV’s Good Morning Britain, they had bonded over “classical literature and Shakespeare” and a shared passion for London, .

“I feel like that mutual interest almost endeared him to me from the get-go because we found something we both liked and we were both passionate about London,” she said.

“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’.”

When asked, Ms Arcuri confirmed her office was in her Shoreditch flat.

Ms Arcuri said the prime minister “asked me to show him a few things” on the pole she had in her London home.

Describing the kit as a “conversation starter”, she said she and Mr Johnson “always had a laugh about it”.

She added: “The pole stood in the living room, yes, he saw the pole.”

Asked directly whether Mr Johnson had ever used the pole, Ms Arcuri said: “I’m never going to tell you that.”

Ms Arcuri said after giving Mr Johnson her number, he had messaged her saying: “Boris calling Jennifer.”

She said the text had come through when she was out with friends, who suggested storing his number under the name “Alexander the Great” to protect his identity.

The pair stopped speaking regularly when she fell pregnant in 2016.

SNP Treasury spokesperson Alison Thewliss said: “There must be a full public inquiry to establish the truth.

“Boris Johnson has acted unlawfully, dodged scrutiny, defied parliament, and there are now questions over dishonesty and alleged misuse of public money.

“The prime minister must comply fully with any investigation.”

The pole stood in the middle of the living room, yes, he saw the pole. JENNIFER ARCURI

Picture: PA/ITV. Jennifer Arcuri, the American businesswoman at the centre of a media storm over her association with Boris Johnson, was interviewed on ITV’s Good Morning Britain.