Parliament sleaze watchdog urged to open new investigation into Boris Johnson flat refurb

Parliament’s sleaze watchdog must investigate’s Boris Johnson over the funding of the lavish refurbishments to his Downing Street flat, Labour has said.

In a letter to the parliamentary commissioner for standards, deputy leader Angela Rayner said the body should launch a probe into whether the prime minister broke parliamentary rules by not declaring a donation on the MPs’ register of interests.

Last week Mr Johnson was cleared of breaking his government’s own ministerial conduct rules over the refurbishment.

But Lord Geidt, the PM’s adviser on standards, said Mr Johnson had acted “unwisely” over the works, which were overseen by his then-fiancée Carrie Symonds and part-financed by a Tory donor.

Now Labour wants the separate parliamentary watchdog to investigate whether Mr Johnson broke rules he has to follow as a member of parliament.

In a letter to the commissioner, Ms Rayner noted it has previously reprimanded Mr Johnson, including in 2019 when the Tory leader had been warned that any further breaches may warrant “more serious sanction”.

“It appears that, far from learning the lessons of his previous transgressions, the prime minister has continued with his attitude of treating basic standards of integrity, openness and transparency with contempt and behaving as though there is one rule for him and another for everyone else,” Ms Rayner wrote.

“I therefore write to request that you instigate a further investigation into the prime minister’s failure to register this donation, using your powers as commissioner.”

Ms Rayner also accused Mr Johnson of breaching the general principles on conduct in public life of “selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership”.

Under the government’s rules, the prime minister can use an annual public grant of up to £30,000 to decorate his Downing Street home – but the lavish choice he and his partner made quickly increased costs to around £200,000.

Tory donor Lord Brownlow had initially had settled an invoice for the works, though the adviser on ministers’ interests Lord Geidt concluded that Mr Johnson had not been aware of this.

He said the prime minister should have been “more rigorous regard for how this would be funded”.

Separately, the parliamentary commissioner for standards is already investigating whether Mr Johnson properly declared a £15,000 holiday on the Caribbean island of Mustique with his then finance.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: “Lord Geidt’s independent report shows the prime minister acted in accordance with the ministerial code at all times and sets out the background to the intended establishment of a Downing Street trust.

“The report shows how, at all times, the prime minister followed the advice of officials and he has made a declaration in his list of ministerial interests, as advised by Lord Geidt.

“The House of Commons rules and Electoral Commission guidance are clear that support relating to ministerial activity should be declared through ministerial declarations and this has been done.”