The British Election Commission has launched an investigation into financing the renovation of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s apartment. According to the commission, there are “reasonable grounds” to suspect Johnson may have violated the rules.
According to his former senior adviser Dominic Cummings, Johnson had been planning to use donations from the Conservative Party to pay for the renovation of the apartment at 11 Downing Street in London. That’s what Cummings, who called on Johnson to wait late last year, wrote in a blog post. Various media reports stated, among other things, that a wealthy Lord Brownlow contributed to the renewal with a donation of £ 58,000.
An annual fee of £ 30,000 is set aside for home work. Nevertheless, Johnson is said to have spent £ 200,000. He would have taken the extra money in the form of a loan or donation and paid it off later. However, in this case, he had to inform the Electoral Commission of the amount. If Johnson breaks the rules, he could be fined £ 20,000.
May Interior: “Nightmare”
Johnson moved into the apartment in July 2019 when he became prime minister. The actual official residence of the Prime Minister is 10 Downing Street, but this apartment is larger. So, since Tony Blair, all prime ministers have lived on 11 Downing Street.
Johnson’s fiancée, Carrie Symonds, described the interior of his predecessor Theresa May as a “nightmare”. That’s why the couple put exclusive interior designer Lulu Lytle to work. The designer is known for her bamboo furniture.
Johnson had to respond to the accusations in the House of Commons today. He says he paid for the renovation himself, but didn’t want to say whether that was the case in the first place, or whether he had borrowed the money at first.
Johnson also addressed the accusations leveled by the Daily Mail. In October, Johnson was said to have said at the start of England’s second lockdown: “Nothing silly More closures – let the corpses pile up by the thousands. Johnson denied using the words.
