Saturday, March 20, 2021
Election watchdog to probe Prime Minister?
The Prime Minister's eagerness to refurbish the Downing Street flat he occupies with one of his families may well come back to bite him. The Guardian reports that the official elections watchdog has contacted the Tory party over a reported payment made for the refurbishment of Boris Johnson’s residence:
The Electoral Commission said it was in touch to establish whether any sums relating to the renovation works should have been declared under the law on party political donations.
In response, the Conservative party said that all reportable donations were correctly declared in compliance with the law.
It follows reports by the Daily Mail that about £60,000 of party funds were used to help cover the reported £200,000 cost of refurbishing the official flat above 11 Downing Street where Johnson lives with his fiancee, Carrie Symonds.
In a statement, a commission spokeswoman said: “We are in contact with the party to establish whether any sums relating to the renovation works fall within the regime regulated by the commission. If so, they would need to be reported according to the rules specified in law, and would then be published by the commission as part of our commitment to the transparency of political finance.”
Some transparency in this process would indeed be welcome.
The Electoral Commission said it was in touch to establish whether any sums relating to the renovation works should have been declared under the law on party political donations.
In response, the Conservative party said that all reportable donations were correctly declared in compliance with the law.
It follows reports by the Daily Mail that about £60,000 of party funds were used to help cover the reported £200,000 cost of refurbishing the official flat above 11 Downing Street where Johnson lives with his fiancee, Carrie Symonds.
In a statement, a commission spokeswoman said: “We are in contact with the party to establish whether any sums relating to the renovation works fall within the regime regulated by the commission. If so, they would need to be reported according to the rules specified in law, and would then be published by the commission as part of our commitment to the transparency of political finance.”
Some transparency in this process would indeed be welcome.
