London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 23, 2026

Labour demands further probe into Boris Johnson's flat revamp

Labour demands further probe into Boris Johnson's flat revamp

Parliament's sleaze watchdog should investigate the funding of the prime minister's Downing Street flat refurbishment, Labour says.

Boris Johnson was last week cleared of misconduct and of breaking the ministerial code by his adviser on ministerial interests.

But Lord Geidt said he had "acted unwisely".

Labour says he might have broken the rules governing the conduct of MPs after failing to declare a donation.

Labour is keen to increase the pressure on Mr Johnson over the renovations to his flat as part of its wider charge of cronyism against the government, and has written to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner, Kathryn Stone.

Last Friday, Lord Geidt - who was appointed by the PM in April as his ministerial standards adviser - said Tory donor Lord Brownlow had paid an invoice to cover some of the costs for the works, which were overseen by Mr Johnson's wife Carrie.

He accepted that Mr Johnson had not been aware how the bill had been paid but rebuked him for "unwisely" allowing the refurbishment to proceed "without more rigorous regard for how this would be funded".

At the time, Labour said it was "staggering" that Mr Johnson could "rack up" a bill "yet have no knowledge of how it was eventually paid".

Now, the party says Mr Johnson still has more questions to answer in his capacity as an MP, which falls under the remit of Ms Stone.

Contempt


In the letter to the commissioner, Labour's Deputy leader, Angela Rayner, noted Ms Stone had previously reprimanded Mr Johnson in 2019 for failing to register a share of a property within the required time frame, and warned any further breaches may warrant "more serious sanction".

But Ms Rayner said "far from learning the lessons of his previous transgressions, the prime minister has continued with his attitude of treating basic standards of integrity, openness and transparency with contempt, and behaving as though there is one rule for him and another for everyone else,".

She says the fact that Mr Johnson told Lord Geidt he became aware of the donations for the works on the flat in February this year but did not settle the invoices personally until 8 March suggests he is in breach of parliamentary rules that all MPs must follow.

The Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament states that all MPs must register financial interests, donations and gifts, and Mr Johnson, as prime minister, is not exempt from that.

Ms Rayner added: "I therefore write to request that you instigate a further investigation into the prime minister's failure to register this donation, using your powers as commissioner."

She also accused Mr Johnson of breaching the general principles on conduct in public life, including "selflessness", "integrity" and "leadership".

Followed advice


Ms Stone is already investigating whether Mr Johnson properly declared a £15,000 holiday on the Caribbean island of Mustique with his wife Carrie.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said: "Lord Geidt's independent report shows the prime minister acted in accordance with the ministerial code at all times and sets out the background to the intended establishment of a Downing Street trust.

"The report shows how, at all times, the prime minister followed the advice of officials and he has made a declaration in his list of ministerial interests, as advised by Lord Geidt.

"The House of Commons rules and Electoral Commission guidance are clear that support relating to ministerial activity should be declared through ministerial declarations and this has been done."

Next steps


The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards has the power to refer a case to the Committee on Standards if she deems it is serious enough and the committee can, in principle, recommend suspension.

The sanction for less serious cases can require the MP to acknowledge and apologise for any breach.

Mr Johnson faces two other inquiries in to the flat refurbishment.

The Electoral Commission is conducting its own investigation in to whether the Conservative Party broke the rules on declaring donations over the Downing Street flat and has the power to issue a fine of up to £20,000.

Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, the UK's top civil servant, is also looking into the refurbishment, including whether donations were properly declared.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Opens National Artificial Intelligence Safety Testing Facility
UK Government Finalizes Plans to Bring Remaining Regional Rail Services Into Public Ownership
Environment Agency Imposes Record Penalties on Water Companies Over Illegal Sewage Discharges
Great British Energy Announces Offshore Wind Partnership in North Sea
UK Government Tightens Planning Rules to Accelerate Housing Development
NHS Launches Digital Overhaul to Cut Elective Care Waiting Lists
Bank of England Signals Interest Rates May Stay Higher for Longer as Inflation Pressures Persist
The rise and fall of Hui Ka Yan, China’s richest man
Woke: Britain Considers Plain Packaging for Cigars as Specialist Shops Warn of Industry Collapse
Britain's Public-Service Productivity Remains Below 2019 as £80 Billion Output Gap Fuels WFH Debate
Mandelson Epstein Case in Jeopardy as U.S. Files Stay Out of Reach
Prince Harry and Six Others Ordered to Pay £9.5 Million After High Court Defeat
Bank of England Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Inflation and Energy Risks Persist
UK AI Security Tests Find Autonomous Agent Attempting Malicious Code Injection
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Amid Global Pressures
UK Joins European Allies in Condemning Israeli Settlement Plans in West Bank E1 Area
Multiple People Killed in A66 Collision Near Middlesbrough Involving Police Vehicle
UK Government Holds First National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism
UK Met Office Warns of Severe Autumn Storms as Strong El Niño Follows Historic Drought
Petrol Bombs Set Luxury Cars Alight Outside Birmingham Wedding as Police Hunt Three Men
Bitcoin Surges Toward $80,000 as Short Squeeze and ETF Inflows Ignite Crypto Rally
Prince Harry and Co-Claimants Ordered to Pay £9.5 Million Toward Daily Mail Publisher’s Legal Costs
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Reportedly Plan Return to Britain With Their Children
UK Court Ruling Threatens Deportation Plans for Potential Trafficking Victims to Albania
Kemi Badenoch Presses UK Government for Decisions on Rosebank and Jackdaw Oil Fields
UK Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Calls for Ban on Goods from Occupied West Bank
Andy Burnham Government to Place Civil Servants Directly in English Mayoral Offices
Met Office Warns Major El Niño Could Bring Stormier, Wetter Autumn to UK
UK Economy Gains Unexpected Momentum Ahead of Andy Burnham Government’s First Budget
Twenty-Nine US States Take Meta to Trial Over Alleged Child Addiction on Instagram and Facebook
Former Scottish National Party Executive Peter Murrell Jailed for Five Years Over £400,000 Embezzlement
Moderna and Merck's Personalized Cancer Vaccine Succeeds in Historic Late-Stage Melanoma Trial
Prince Harry and Meghan to Move Back to Britain With Their Children
England and Wales Have Fewer Than 1,800 Prison Places Left for Men
Royal Navy to Accelerate DragonFire Laser Deployment Against Growing Drone Threat
Northern Ireland Approves Five Hundred Million Pound Belfast Harbour Expansion
Great British Railways Takes Full Control of Avanti West Coast as Rail Nationalisation Reaches Final Stage
UK AI Safety Institute Calls for Mandatory Security Audits of Advanced AI Models
Scotland Secures Three Billion Pounds for Floating Offshore Wind Hub in Aberdeen
Government Overrides Local Councils to Approve Green Belt Housing Across Southern England
UK and EU Move Toward Mutual Recognition of Food Standards to Ease Cross-Channel Trade
Government Plans Multibillion-Pound Private Healthcare Expansion to Cut NHS Surgical Backlogs
Bank of England Signals Faster Rate Cuts as Inflation Falls Below the Two Percent Target
Suspected People Smuggler Arrested After Investigation Identified Him
Children's Doctors Warn That Vaping Can Lead Young People to Smoking
Hundreds of Thousands of Students Receive GCSE and Vocational Results Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Here Is What Can Never Happen in Your Country: Taiwan Is Giving Money to All Its People Because It Collected Too Much Tax
UK Inflation Rises to 2.9% as Energy Bills Jump
UK Issues New Conduct Guide for Asylum Seekers on Consent and Respect
Moderna Shares Surge After Positive Personalized Skin Cancer Trial Results
×