Downing St ‘liaising’ with standards adviser over Boris Johnson flat probe

Boris Johnson’s adviser on standards has demanded new information from Downing Street after discrepancies came to light in the prime minister’s account of the controversial refurbishment of his flat, piling fresh pressure on his battered administration.

Downing Street confirmed on Friday that officials were “liaising” with Lord Christopher Geidt after an Electoral Commission report triggered questions over the accuracy of the prime minister’s account of how the redecoration of his flat at 11 Downing Street in 2020 was funded.

The intervention marked the end of one of Johnson’s most tumultuous weeks as prime minister, encompassing reports of illicit Downing St parties during the strict Covid-19 lockdown in the run-up to last Christmas and an angry reaction by many Conservative MPs to new restrictions to stem the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

The UK prime minister now faces a rebellion by libertarian MPs next week in a parliamentary vote on new rules that include the compulsory use of vaccine passports at big venues. That will be followed by a by-election in the North Shropshire constituency, where the Liberal Democrats are now the bookmakers’ favourites despite a Tory majority of nearly 23,000.

He is also facing an investigation into last year’s Christmas parties by cabinet secretary Simon Case. One Tory MP said the party was watching the investigations very closely. “If Boris has misled the House [of Commons] on the parties or the flat, things will get much more serious for him.”

As Labour moved ahead in the polls, a survey published on Friday by YouGov found 66 per cent of the British public had an unfavourable opinion of Johnson against 24 per cent holding positive views.

Johnson was sucked back into the “Wallpaper-gate” scandal after discrepancies came to light in the prime minister’s account of how his flat enjoyed a luxury makeover.

In May Geidt, the prime minister’s ethics adviser and a former private secretary to the Queen, cleared him of breaking the ministerial code over how the work was funded. His report said the prime minister had not been aware of how the refurbishment of the apartment in 11 Downing Street had been funded until late February 2021.

But the Electoral Commission report revealed that Johnson sent a WhatsApp message in November 2020 to Lord David Brownlow, the sole donor behind the scheme, asking for more money. Geidt was understood to be “deeply unhappy” that he may have been misled by the prime minister.

Downing Street confirmed on Friday that officials were “liaising with Lord Geidt to answer any further questions he may have”. However, to reopen the inquiry in full would require the permission of Johnson himself, according to Number 10.

Geidt took up the job only a year ago after Sir Alex Allan quit in November 2020 following a disagreement with Johnson over whether home secretary Priti Patel had broken the ministerial code over bullying allegations.

Downing Street explained the discrepancy by saying Johnson communicated with Brownlow in the latter’s capacity as chair of a blind trust overseeing the financing of the refurbishment.

Lord Gavin Barwell, chief of staff to Theresa May, Johnson’s predecessor as prime minister, said there were discussions taking place among MPs about trying to remove Johnson. “More than anyone, [Johnson’s] position depends on being seen as an electoral asset. If over time that goes, he really is in trouble,” he said.

The commission announced on Thursday it had fined the Tories £17,800 after concluding that the party had failed to declare a £52,801.72 donation made by Brownlow’s company Huntswood intended to cover the refurbishment.

Geidt’s report had found Johnson was not the subject of any conflict of interest.