Boris Johnson has apologised after his ministerial standards adviser condemned his failure to disclose messages he exchanged with a Tory peer over the funding of the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat.
In a letter, the prime minister said he was “sorry that the Office of Independent Adviser has been put in this position” and that he could “only repeat the humble and sincere apology” he had already offered Lord Geidt.
Mr Johnson said he did not have access to his previous mobile phone, from which the messages had been sent, and “did not recall the message exchange”.
But he said: “A fuller explanation of the circumstances should have been provided at the time of your investigation. I am sorry we did not do so.”
Ministerial interests adviser Lord Geidt criticised the failing, saying it exposed “a signal deficiency in the standards upon which the independent adviser and, by extension, the prime minister have an absolute right to rely in establishing the truth in such matters”.
The Liberal Democrats labelled the incident “just another day in the No 10 circus act and the latest chapter in the Conservative sleaze scandal”, while Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner claimed the “prime minister’s pathetic excuses will fool no one”, adding: “This matters because it matters who has influence on our government in a democracy.
“The British public can't WhatsApp a wealthy donor to open their wallets on request, and the least they deserve is transparency about who’s bankrolling their prime minister.”
