Boris Johnson asked for his alleged mistress Jennifer Arcuri to be included on a trade mission to Tel Aviv while he was London mayor of London, it was claimed yesterday.
A former City Hall worker said they were “surprised” to see the US businesswoman on the coveted trip.
The 55-year-old Prime Minister is facing a possible police investigation into claims that he gave favourable treatment to Ms Arcuri, 34.
He spoke at several of the events organised by her Innotech networking firm, she attended three of his trade trips and her companies have received £126,000 in public money since she became close friend with Mr Johnson.
Friends claim Ms Arcuri began a sexual relationship within months of meeting the married mayor in 2012.
The City Hall staffer told Sky News: “I got to Tel Aviv and was sitting in the hotel bar with delegates when I saw Jennifer Arcuri walk in.
“I turned to the person organising the trip and asked: ‘What’s she doing here?’ Apparently the mayor asked for her to be involved.
“There was never a mention of her joining. I thought it was very unusual for her to be on this trip because it was so focused on educational technology and that wasn’t her business.”
One Ms Arcuri’s backers told the Mirror: “Those trade missions did matter.
They cemented Jennifer’s place as a big player in the whole tech city scene.”
Mr Johnson has repeatedly refused to answer questions about his relationship with Ms Arcuri but insists there was “no interest to declare”.
The PM is facing several investigations into his conduct and has until Monday to respond to questions from the London Assembly’s oversight committee.
Ms Arcuri has strongly denied any wrongdoing, and told the Daily Mail: "I have every right to be on those trips as a legitimate businesswoman and stand by everything that happened because these allegations are completely false."
