Electoral Commission to investigate Boris Johnson's flat renovations

Reuters

The Electoral Commission has launched a formal investigation into the funding of Boris Johnson's Downing Street flat refurbishments.

The watchdog has been in contact with the Conservative Party since March over works the PM carried out to No 11.

But it has just announced it is "satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence or offences may have occurred".

The PM has been under growing pressure to declare how the revamp was paid for.

Last week, his former adviser, Dominic Cummings, claimed the PM had planned for party donors to "secretly pay" for the works.

A No 10 spokesman has refused to say whether Mr Johnson initially received a loan to cover the costs.

• What are the rules governing political donations?

But Downing Street has insisted the prime minister has "acted in accordance with the appropriate codes of conduct and electoral law".

While it is not against the rules to receive donations, politicians must declare them so the public can see who has given them money and whether it has had any influence on their decisions.

The Commission - which regulates party and election finance - said the investigation would "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".

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April 28, 2021 at 10:42PM

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56915307