The Lib Dems have called for a full investigation into the allegations, reported by the Sunday Times, which date back to 2008, when Johnson was mayor of London. Downing Street argued that there was no “public interest” in the story. According to the Sunday Times, Johnson, who was 43, married with four children and still the MP for Henley as well as the mayor of London, had a brief sexual relationship with the woman, who was a Tory activist in her 20s. Johnson pushed for the woman, who has not been identified, to have a job at City Hall. This was reportedly blocked due to concerns about her closeness to Johnson by Keith Malthouse, who is now a minister in Johnson’s office. In 2017, the woman had a meeting with Johnson, which she recorded, telling him she was “really upset and upset” about the incident and calling it an example of how young women in politics were considered “fair game”. The recording shows Johnson repeatedly apologizing, telling the woman, “I’m very, very sorry for your unhappiness over this.” But he denied any wrongdoing, saying: “I don’t believe I was malicious and I don’t believe I would be aggressive or anything like that. I think that would not be fair.” Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST An opposition party is likely to seek an urgent question in the Commons about the allegations on Monday, although plans for them are never publicly discussed in advance due to parliamentary protocols. The allegations are the third time Johnson has been accused of seeking job favors for a woman he had a relationship with. He helped a London-based American tech entrepreneur, Jennifer Arcuri, get places at business events and reportedly sought a senior role at the Foreign Office for his then-girlfriend, Carrie Symonds, now his wife. Daisy Cooper, the deputy leader of the Lib Dems, said: “The woman’s account is deeply distressing to read and it is clear that this needs to be investigated immediately, either by a parliamentary body or by the authorities at City Hall. “British politics has been repeatedly dragged through the mud in recent weeks… It is utterly disappointing that not only has another politician in high office been accused of abusing his power, but that now it is the sitting Prime Minister who is facing serious questions.” A Downing Street spokesman said: “This is not the Prime Minister’s time and no public interest, as I see it. And we’re not talking about his private life.”
