London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Dec 31, 2025

Boris Johnson declares £1,800 Heathrow hospitality amid Spanish holiday row

Boris Johnson declares £1,800 Heathrow hospitality amid Spanish holiday row

Prime minister has not had to formally declare his stay at Zac Goldsmith’s luxury villa in Marbella last month
Another detail of Boris Johnson’s largely-free holiday to southern Spain last month has emerged after the prime minister declared £1,800 of hospitality from Heathrow.

The declaration was made in the latest update to the register of MPs’ interests, where donations or other gifts must be set out, with their value. Johnson used the Windsor suite at Heathrow’s Terminal 5 on 7 October, when he was en route to Málaga.

The Windsor suite is described by the airport as a collection of eight “unique and beautifully decorated private lounges”. Johnson declared its use for three people, with a total value of £1,800.

While Johnson was previously a vehement opponent of Heathrow’s expansion to a third runway – he once pledged to stop it by lying down in front of bulldozers – he opted to travel to Kabul so as to miss a Commons vote that approved the plan in 2018, when he was foreign secretary under Theresa May.

Johnson, after being elected for his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat, which is close to the west London airport, told supporters: “I will lie down with you in front of those bulldozers and stop the building, stop the construction of that third runway.”

Downing Street say Johnson, his wife, Carrie, and their one-year-old son, Wilfred, took a commercial flight to Spain. Once there, they stayed for free at a luxurious villa in Marbella belonging to the Goldsmith family.

While the villa is rented commercially for about £25,000 a week, this use of the villa was not put in the register of MPs’ interests, meaning Johnson has not had to formally declare its value.

Downing Street has confirmed the holiday was provided free of charge by the family of Zac Goldsmith, the former Conservative MP who, after he lost his seat in the 2019 election, was made a peer and an environment minister by Johnson.

The stay was instead listed by the prime minister in the register of ministerial interests, which is updated less regularly, and does not cite monetary values. Downing Street said this was the correct way to register the free stay, “given the hospitality was provided by another minister”.

However, there is speculation that Johnson is seeking to set a precedent that costs and obligations incurred as prime minister fall under the remit of Lord Geidt, the adviser on ministerial interests, who does not have the power to unilaterally begin investigations, rather than Kathryn Stone, the independent parliamentary commissioner for standards.

Last week, Downing Street also argued that Stone should not investigate who paid for the renovation of Johnson’s official flat, as this was not connected to his role as an MP, prompting Labour to warn the PM was trying to evade proper scrutiny.

As a minister, Johnson’s opportunity to earn extra income is severely limited. When he was a backbench MP, he was paid almost £23,000 a month by the Daily Telegraph to write a column, and regularly took on speaking engagements paying tens of thousands of pounds.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
No UK Curfew Ordered as Deepfake TikTok Falsely Attributes Decree to Prime Minister Starmer
Europe’s Largest Defence Groups Set to Return Nearly Five Billion Dollars to Shareholders in Twenty Twenty-Five
Abu Dhabi ‘Capital of Capital’: How Abu Dhabi Rose as a Sovereign Wealth Power
Diamonds Are Powering a New Quantum Revolution
Trump Threatens Strikes Against Iran if Nuclear Programme Is Restarted
Apple Escalates Legal Fight by Appealing £1.5 Billion UK Ruling Over App Store Fees
UK Debt Levels Sit Mid-Range Among Advanced Economies Despite Rising Pressures
UK Plans Royal Diplomacy with King Charles and Prince William to Reinvigorate Trade Talks with US
King Charles and Prince William Poised for Separate 2026 US Visits to Reinforce UK-US Trade and Diplomatic Ties
Apple Moves to Appeal UK Ruling Ordering £1.5 Billion in Customer Overcharge Damages
King Charles’s 2025 Christmas Message Tops UK Television Ratings on Christmas Day
The Battle Over the Internet Explodes: The United States Bars European Officials and Ignites a Diplomatic Crisis
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Join Royal Family at Sandringham Christmas Service
Fine Wine Investors Find Little Cheer in Third Year of Falls
UK Mortgage Rates Edge Lower as Bank of England Base Rate Cut Filters Through Lending Market
U.S. Supermarket Gives Customers Free Groceries for Christmas After Computer Glitch
Air India ‘Finds’ a Plane That Vanished 13 Years Ago
Caviar and Foie Gras? China Is Becoming a Luxury Food Powerhouse
Hong Kong Climbs to Second Globally in 2025 Tourism Rankings Behind Bangkok
From Sunniest Year on Record to Terror Plots and Sports Triumphs: The UK’s Defining Stories of 2025
Greta Thunberg Released on Bail After Arrest at London Pro-Palestinian Demonstration
Banksy Unveils New Winter Mural in London Amid Festive Season Excitement
UK Households Face Rising Financial Strain as Tax Increases Bite and Growth Loses Momentum
UK Government Approves Universal Studios Theme Park in Bedford Poised to Rival Disneyland Paris
UK Gambling Shares Slide as Traders Respond to Steep Tax Rises and Sector Uncertainty
Starmer and Trump Coordinate on Ukraine Peace Efforts in Latest Diplomatic Call
The Pilot Barricaded Himself in the Cockpit and Refused to Take Off: "We Are Not Leaving Until I Receive My Salary"
UK Fashion Label LK Bennett Pursues Accelerated Sale Amid Financial Struggles
U.S. Government Warns UK Over Free Speech in Pro-Life Campaigner Prosecution
Newly Released Files Shed Light on Jeffrey Epstein’s Extensive Links to the United Kingdom
Prince William and Prince George Volunteer Together at UK Homelessness Charity
UK Police Arrest Protesters Chanting ‘Globalise the Intifada’ as Authorities Recalibrate Free Speech Enforcement
Scambodia: The World Owes Thailand’s Military a Profound Debt of Gratitude
Women in Partial Nudity — and Bill Clinton in a Dress and Heels: The Images Revealed in the “Epstein Files”
US Envoy Witkoff to Convene Security Advisers from Ukraine, UK, France and Germany in Miami as Peace Efforts Intensify
UK Retailers Report Sharp Pre-Christmas Sales Decline and Weak Outlook, CBI Survey Shows
UK Government Rejects Use of Frozen Russian Assets to Fund Aid for Ukraine
UK Financial Conduct Authority Opens Formal Investigation into WH Smith After Accounting Errors
UK Issues Final Ultimatum to Roman Abramovich Over £2.5bn Chelsea Sale Funds for Ukraine
Rare Pink Fog Sweeps Across Parts of the UK as Met Office Warns of Poor Visibility
UK Police Pledge ‘More Assertive’ Enforcement to Tackle Antisemitism at Protests
UK Police Warn They Will Arrest Protesters Chanting ‘Globalise the Intifada’
Trump Files $10 Billion Defamation Lawsuit Against BBC as Broadcaster Pledges Legal Defence
UK Says U.S. Tech Deal Talks Still Active Despite Washington’s Suspension of Prosperity Pact
UK Mortgage Rules to Give Greater Flexibility to Borrowers With Irregular Incomes
UK Treasury Moves to Position Britain as Leading Global Hub for Crypto Firms
U.S. Freezes £31 Billion Tech Prosperity Deal With Britain Amid Trade Dispute
Prince Harry and Meghan’s Potential UK Return Gains New Momentum Amid Security Review and Royal Dialogue
Zelensky Opens High-Stakes Peace Talks in Berlin with Trump Envoy and European Leaders
Historical Reflections on Press Freedom Emerge Amid Debate Over Trump’s Media Policies
×