Who funded Boris Johnson’s lavish makeover of his Downing Street flat is to be investigated by the Electoral Commission.
The elections and party funding watchdog said there were “reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence or offences may have occurred” in the funding of refurbishments made to Johnson’s Downing Street flat.
It comes after reports that £58,000 was paid by a donor to the Conservative Party, after which the party then paid for the work.
A spokesman for the Electoral Commission said: “The investigation will determine whether any transactions relating to the works at 11 Downing Street fall within the regime regulated by the Commission and whether such funding was reported as required.”
Johnson has been plagued by allegations of misconduct over the payments since last Friday, when his former senior adviser Dominic Cummings said his plans for “secret” donations were “unethical, foolish and possibly illegal”.
The move came as Johnson appointed a new independent adviser on ministers’ interests ahead of a showdown in the Commons at Prime Minister’s Questions.
Former private secretary to the Queen Lord Geidt has been appointed to the post which 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.
