Watchdog launches formal investigation into Boris Johnson’s flat refurbishments

Boris Johnson’s refurbishment of his Downing Street flat will be investigated by the Electoral Commission as the watchdog said it is satisfied there are “reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence or offences may have occurred”.

The Prime Minister’s troubles over the renovations dramatically deepened on Wednesday when the commission said it would begin a “formal investigation” to see if any rules had been broken.

Questions have been mounting for Mr Johnson since former aide Dominic Cummings accused him of wanting donors to “secretly pay” for the renovations to his No 11 residence in a “possibly illegal” move.

Announcing its investigation, the Electoral Commission said it had “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 commission can issue fines of up to £20,000, with most cases deciding whether to impose a sanction if it is satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that an offence has occurred.

But it can also refer investigations under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 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 after Boris Johnson overruled him in relation to a report on Priti Patel’s conduct.

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 commission’s statement came less than an hour before Mr Johnson was due to face Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in the Commons for Prime Minister’s Questions.

Labour has accused him of having “lied” over the funding, and accused senior members of the Government of a possible “cover-up”.

Mr Johnson was also facing pressure over allegedly saying he would rather see “bodies pile high” than impose a third coronavirus lockdown.

Ahead of the commission’s statement, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps insisted a review into the controversy by Cabinet Secretary Simon Case will answer whether the Tory party gave Mr Johnson a loan, before the Prime Minister paid back the costs.

Prime ministers get a budget of up to £30,000 per year to renovate their Downing Street residency, but newspaper reports have suggested Mr Johnson has spent up to £200,000.

Last week, the Daily Mail published details of an email from Tory peer Lord Brownlow in which he said he was making a £58,000 donation to the party “to cover the payments the party has already made on behalf of the soon-to-be-formed ‘Downing Street Trust’”.

A No 10 spokeswoman has said that the costs “have been met by the Prime Minister personally” and that party funds “are not being used for this”.

It is likely Mr Johnson will also face questioning in the Commons over whether he said he was prepared to let “bodies pile high” rather than order a third shutdown, an accusation he has branded as “total rubbish” and one which has been denied by No 10.

But, after the Daily Mail first reported the remarks, the BBC and ITV were among those to carry reports with their own sources alleging he made the comment in October.

Downing Street officials have been less firm on a Times report that Mr Johnson separately told aides in September he would rather let coronavirus “rip” than impose a second lockdown.

The bombardment of allegations around the Prime Minister come as he is embroiled in a public row with Mr Cummings, who until last year was his senior adviser in No 10.

Mr Cummings hit out at his former boss in a blog post, saying he had fallen “below the standards of competence and integrity the country deserves” after No 10 sources, reportedly the Prime Minister himself, accused him of being behind a series of leaks.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth called for a “full and frank” explanation from the Prime Minister over the funding of the renovations.

“We really need to know who’s given the loan, who’s given the money, because we need to know who the Prime Minister, who Boris Johnson, is beholden to,” the Labour MP has told BBC Breakfast.

“To be honest, he lied yesterday, that’s not good enough.”