Boris Johnson will find out on Thursday if a criminal investigation with be launched into his dealings with the US tech entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri during his time as Mayor of London.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) will announce its decision at noon as to whether it will proceed with a probe into allegations the prime minister used his position while to benefit and reward Ms Arcuri.
The former model accompanied Mr Johnson on several trade missions while he was in City Hall, and it emerged last September that her companies received more than £100,000 in public money.
Opposition parties have strongly criticised the police watchdog for delays over the decision whether to investigate “possible criminality”.
The IOPC strongly denied reports that it had postponed any announcement about the prime minister’s case until after the December general election.
Mr Johnson has insisted “everything was done entirely in the proper way” – while refusing to answer questions about whether he had a sexual relationship with the American when he was mayor.
However, Ms Arcuri revealed various details of their friendship in interviews during November 2019 – accusing the prime minister of treating her like “some fleeting one-night stand”.
She also complained it was always the woman who is criticised “when you have an affair with an older man”.
Whitehall’s internal audit agency £100,000 grant awarded to Ms Arcuri’s cyber-firm by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) was “appropriate” after it emerged the cyber firm was registered from an old rented flat in Macclesfield.
Ms Arcuri’s business reportedly received £10,000 in sponsorship cash from an organisation Mr Johnson was responsible for as London mayor in 2013.
It was the Greater London Authority that asked the IOPC to assess whether Mr Johnson should be formally investigated.
