LONDON: Boris Johnson insisted he has not broken any laws over the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat after the Electoral Commission launched a formal investigation.
The watchdog said there are “reasonable grounds” to suspect an offence may have occurred, dramatically deepening the Prime Minister’s troubles over the renovations on Wednesday.
Questions have been mounting since former aide Dominic Cummings accused Johnson of wanting donors to “secretly pay” for the renovations to his No 11 residence in a “possibly illegal” move. Shortly after the commission’s announcement, Johnson told Prime Minister’s Questions he “personally” paid for the renovations, but refused to answer whether he received an initial loan from the Tory party.
Challenged by Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer over the “incredibly serious” development, Johnson told MPs that “any further declaration that I have to make, if any” will be advised by his newly appointed independent adviser on ministers’ interests, Lord Geidt.
Sir Keir pressed the Prime Minister on whether he believes any “rules or laws have been broken” over the refurbishment of the flat. “No, I don’t,” Mr Johnson replied, adding that he has “met the requirements that I have been obliged to meet in full”.
During the angry exchange in the Commons, the Prime Minister was also forced to deny having said he would rather see “bodies pile high” than impose a third coronavirus lockdown. The questioning came less than an hour after the Electoral Commission announced its investigation, having “conducted an assessment” of information provided by the Conservative Party since contact began late last month.
“We are now satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence or offences may have occurred,” a statement from the watchdog said. “We will therefore continue this work as a formal investigation to establish whether this is the case.”
Crucially, the watchdog said the investigation will “determine whether any transactions relating” to the renovations “fall within the regime regulated by the commission and whether such funding was reported as required”.
“We will provide an update once the investigation is complete. We will not be commenting further until that point,” a spokeswoman added. The Conservative Party said it would “continue to work constructively” with the commission.
“We believe all reportable donations have been transparently and correctly declared and published by the Electoral Commission,” a spokesman said.
The commission can issue fines of up to £20,000, with most offences under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 resulting in a civil sanction.
But it can also refer investigations to the police or prosecutors.
Investigators can demand documents, information and explanations, and could potentially seek a statutory interview with the Prime Minister as part of the process.
The announcement came as former private secretary to the Queen Lord Geidt was appointed as the new independent adviser on ministers’ interests. The post has been vacant since Sir Alex Allan resigned in November in response to Johnson standing by Home Secretary Priti Patel despite an investigation finding her conduct “amounted to behaviour that can be described as bullying”.
The appointment of the new adviser paves the way for the publication of the latest register of ministerial interests, which could contain details of any donations to fund the Downing Street flat.
The crossbench peer agreed he will begin his new role “by ascertaining the facts surrounding the refurbishment of the Downing Street flat and advise the Prime Minister on any further registration of interests that may be needed”, a Government statement said.
Labour has accused Johnson of having “lied” over the funding, and accused senior members of the Government of a possible “cover-up” as ministers battled a series of “sleaze” allegations.
Prime ministers get a budget of up to £30,000 per year to renovate their Downing Street residency, but newspaper reports have suggested Johnson has spent up to £200,000.