London, Dec 10, (PA Media/dpa/GNA) – After a week already spent fighting scandals, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is facing fresh scrutiny over allegations he lied to his standards adviser over refurbishments to his Downing Street flat.
Johnson was accused by his erstwhile chief advisor Dominic Cummings of asking wealthy Conservative Party donors to fund lavish renovations to his flat in Downing Street, though he was later cleared of any breach of ministerial rules.
Deputy leader of the opposition Labour Party, Angela Rayner, has written to Lord Geidt, the independent adviser on ministers’ interests, calling for him to inspect the “inconsistencies” between his report on the affair and a damning ruling made by the Electoral Commission on the matter.
Rayner has accused the Prime Minister of having lied to Lord Geidt over whether he knew a Tory peer was behind donations for the lavish renovations.
Lord Geidt is reportedly considering resigning over allegations he was misled by Johnson during his investigation into the Downing Street flat refurbishments, costing more than 112,500 pounds (148,500 dollars).
The pressure comes as the Prime Minister faces an investigation into allegations of Covid rule-breaching parties in Downing Street last Christmas, and anger from Tory MPs over fresh coronavirus restrictions.
In a statement, Ms Rayner said: “We now know that in the days before he imposed the 2021 winter lockdown, the Prime Minister went from allegedly hosting an illegal party in Downing Street, to asking super-rich Tory donors to secretly fund the luxury refurb of his flat.
“Not only has the Conservative Party broken the law, but its Prime Minister has made a mockery of the standards we expect. If Boris Johnson refuses a fresh investigation, that standard will be lowered significantly, setting the bar woefully low for our country’s public life.”
GNA