Who paid for the refurbishment of Boris Johnson’s Downing Street flat should be made clear by the end of the month, the Prime Minister’s new adviser on standards has said.
Lord Geidt told MP that he is “determined” that a full list of ministerial interests should be published by the end of the month - which will include the PM’s declaration about his flat.
Johnson is facing controversy after his former chief adviser Dominic Cummings claimed the Prime Minister had planned to have donors “secretly pay” for the refurbishment work.
Cummings said this would have been “unethical, foolish, possibly illegal” but Downing Street insists that the Prime Minster covered the costs himself.
The Electoral Commission has already launched an investigation into the funding of work on the prime minister’s apartment in Downing Street, saying there were grounds to suspect an offence had been committed.
Lord Geidt, who was appointed in April, told the Commons Public Administration committee that the Cabinet Office is drawing up a revised list of ministers’ interests for him to publish.
He said the publication of the list of interests will cover the Prime Minister and he has been asked to find out what happened with the flat.
He told the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee: “I’m determined that it should be published by the end of this month.
“And of course, as part of my appointment, I have been asked to make an inquiry on the facts of the circumstances of the refurbishment of the flat at Downing Street and to advise the Prime Minister on his declaration of interests so that by the time we get to the end of the month we will have that declaration.”
Geidt also told MPs that he would have the power to initiate investigations and that he could quit if his recommendations were not accepted.
His predecessor quit after disagreeing with Johnson over allegations that Home Secretary Priti Patel broke the ministerial code by shouting and swearing at staff, which she denied.
