PM criticised over flat probe

Boris Johnson has been accused of lacking care for the role of his ministerial standards adviser – as he was told it was “plainly unsatisfactory” that messages between the prime minister and a Tory donor were not disclosed in an investigation into the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat.

Lord Geidt told the prime minister of his “grave concern” that the missing messages were not provided to him when he was investigating how the flat redecoration was funded.

And he said the incident had “shook his confidence”.

Mr Johnson said he offered a “humble and sincere apology” but that he did not recall the exchange with Tory donor and peer Lord Brownlow.

But Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “Once again, by attempting to hide the truth, Boris Johnson undermines his own office.”

In May, Lord Geidt ruled that Mr Johnson had “unwisely” allowed the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat at No 11 to go ahead without “more rigorous regard for how this would be funded”.

An Electoral Commission (EC) investigation found a total of £112,549.12 had been paid by Huntswood Associates – whose director is Lord Brownlow – to cover the work by luxury firm Soane Britain, which is owned by interior designer Lulu Lytle.

Lord Geidt initially cleared Mr Johnson of breaching the ministerial code, but the prime minister had assured him he had no knowledge of the payments until immediately prior to media reports in February 2021.

But the EC said that on November 29 last year, Mr Johnson sent a Whatsapp message to Lord Brownlow “asking him to authorise further... works on the residence”, suggesting Lord Geidt had been misled.

In these messages, released for the first time yesterday, Mr Johnson tells Lord Brownlow: “I am afraid parts of our flat are still a bit of a tip and am keen to allow Lulu Lytle to get on with it. Can I possibly ask her to get in touch with you for approvals?”

In a letter to the PM on December 23, Lord Geidt said: “The episode shook my confidence precisely because potential and real failures of process occurred in more than one part of the apparatus of government.”

“BIT OF A TIP”: Boris Johnson, with wife Carrie, claimed he failed to disclose text messages about the controversial flat revamp because they were on an old phone.