Wallpapergate
The source of funding to renovate Johnson’s Downing Street flat and whether she broke the rules is back in the spotlight after the Independent obtained a leaked invoice, which suggests it cost more than £200,000. An annual taxpayer-funded grant of £30,000 is available to the Prime Minister for refurbishment. Johnson initially claimed to have raised £58,000 for some of the renovations, but it later emerged that the money was borrowed from the millionaire donor and Tory peer Lord Brownlow – with whom Johnson had exchanged messages seeking money for the works, while promising to consider plans for a ‘big show’. After an inquiry, the Prime Minister’s ethics adviser at the time, Lord Gade, criticized Johnson for acting “unwisely” but cleared him of breaching the ministerial code. Six months before Geidt’s findings, Cabinet Office minister Lord True told MPs “any cost of wider refurbishment this year has been met by the prime minister personally”.
Lebedev/Lavrov
On Wednesday, Johnson admitted that, when the secretary of state, he met Alexander Lebedev without officials present in April 2018 during a trip to a castle in Italy owned by Yevgeny Lebedev, the son of the former KGB agent, for a weekend party. On Thursday, Yvette Cooper used an urgent question in the Commons to ask whether Alexander Lebedev tried to arrange a private phone call between Johnson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during the trip. No substantive response was given, but Lebedev denied the allegations. Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee is investigating the appointment of Yevgeny Lebedev as Johnson’s peer despite initial concerns raised by MI5 about his father’s former KGB employment.
Covid research
The pandemic inquiry formally opened last week, but is not expected to start hearings until next year. His terms of reference include making government decisions about lockdowns and care homes, as well as the supply of personal protective equipment (PPE). The awarding of Covid contracts to politically connected people through a non-competitive ‘VIP lane’ has been particularly controversial. The bereaved families have insisted that Johnson’s departure should not prevent him from being held accountable.
Partygate
An investigation into whether Johnson lied about Partygate is ongoing and has set a July 29 deadline for evidence. The House of Commons is investigating whether Johnson deliberately misled parliament by repeatedly denying that Covid rules were breached in law-breaking No 10 parties when challenged. He could be ordered to testify under oath at the inquest.
Pinching
The final nail in the coffin for the Prime Minister was his changing of the story and his handling of the allegations in relation to his – until recently – deputy leader, Chris Pincher. Following Pincher’s resignation following allegations of grunting, No 10 initially insisted Johnson was not aware of any “specific” allegations when he promoted him in February. Three days later, he acknowledged that he was personally aware of the allegations against Pincher at the time. On Tuesday, he admitted the prime minister had been told about an internal investigation that confirmed a complaint about Pincher’s behavior in 2019, but parliament was told he “didn’t immediately recall” being told. Pincher has been stripped of the Tory whip but remains under pressure to stand down as an MP, while details of the incident that led to the 2019 inquiry have not been released.
Other Tory MPs under investigation
David Warburton, the Conservative MP for Somerton and Frome, was sacked from the parliamentary party in April following a series of allegations of sexual harassment and cocaine use. Warburton, who is married with two children, told the Sunday Telegraph he had “huge amounts of defence, but unfortunately the way things work means he doesn’t come out first”. An unnamed Tory MP was arrested in May on suspicion of rape and other sexual offences. He was not whipped, but told to stay away from parliament.
