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Daily Record
Daily Record
World
Lizzy Buchan

Jennifer Arcuri bypassed City Hall and went directly to Boris Johnson over business events

New messages reveal how Jennifer Arcuri bypassed City Hall officials by using her direct link to Boris Johnson to sign him up to her business events.

The American businesswoman committed the then-London mayor to functions without him even knowing, according to 240 pages of emails and documents, released under freedom of ­information laws.

Ahead of 2013 talks with Silicon Valley executives, she told ­officials to discuss it with Johnson as he was “my point of contact”.

At one point Arcuri was reminded to make speaking requests through his private office.

An official’s email said: “The mayor does not have sight of his diary at times and I have had to rearrange the diary significantly to accommodate this event.

(Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)

“Please can you refrain from going via the mayor direct?”

In another message, Arcuri wrote to a redacted subject while appealing to go on a trade visit to Israel: “Dearest, can I apply to go on this mission trip in October? Come with me when we go ;-) ??!!!!”

The dossier is likely to form part of a probe by the Greater London Assembly into whether she was given ­preferential treatment by Johnson during their affair.

Arcuri this week revealed that she was involved in a four-year ­relationship with the future PM.

She told how the pair swapped racy texts and had sex on the sofa of his family home while his wife Marina Wheeler was out, with the pair just 10 minutes from being rumbled by her.

Johnson is facing ­questions over whether Arcuri received ­privileged access to ­overseas trade missions and public grants due to their ­relationship.

After a probe last year, the ­Independent Office for Police Conduct ruled there was no evidence Johnson committed misconduct in public office, which is a criminal offence.

However it said it would have been “wise” for the mayor to have declared the relationship and failing to do so may have breached the Nolan principles for standards in public life.

The GLA is due to mount a ­separate inquiry. It was paused while the IOPC ­investigated and then delayed by the pandemic.

Johnson could face a legal summons to appear as a witness, and failure to attend without a reasonable excuse could lead to a fine or a maximum three-month jail term.

Downing Street declined to comment.

Earlier this week, the PM’s press secretary insisted: “He acts with integrity and is honest.”

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