UK prime minister, Boris Johnson is being investigated by the U.K. Parliament’s standards regulator over a £15k holiday to the Caribbean.
Kathryn Stone, the parliamentary commissioner for standards has confirmed for the first time that she is inquiring into whether the Prime Minister has properly declared the £15,000 stay on the luxury Caribbean hideaway.
Mr. Johnson appears on a list of nine MPs currently under investigation by the commissioner published under new Commons rules.
The prime minister took the trip with his partner, Carrie Symonds, at the end of 2019 in the wake of his general election victory.
Downing Street has previously said “all relevant transparency requirements” were met around the trip to Mustique, a private island in the archipelago nation of St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The PM’s official spokesman said on Monday that “The Prime Minister transparently declared the benefit in kind in the Commons register of interests.”
Asked if the Government believes that the public thinks the rules matter, the spokesman said: “Clearly the rules are set out and it’s important that everyone abides by them, as the Prime Minister has done throughout.”
According to reports, there was confusion when the PM declared the holiday in the register of MPs’ interests last year.
In the entry, Mr. Johnson said he had accepted “accommodation for a private holiday for my partner and me, value £15,000”, citing Tory donor David Ross as the provider.
But a spokesman for Mr. Ross, co-founder of Carphone Warehouse, denied he had paid for it.
Mr. Ross has since sought to further clarify matters, agreeing it was a “benefit in kind” to the PM and Ms. Symonds during their private break.
A spokesman for Mr. Ross reiterated his position on Monday, saying: “Mr. Ross facilitated accommodation for Mr. Johnson on Mustique valued at £15,000.
“Therefore this is a benefit in kind from Mr. Ross to Mr. Johnson, and Mr. Johnson’s declaration to the House of Commons is correct.”
Reacting to the news, Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “Another day, another investigation into Boris Johnson for more sleaze and dodgy dealings.
“The public have a right to know who paid for Boris Johnson’s luxury Caribbean holiday and the renovation of his flat.
“Most importantly, we need to know what these donors were promised or expected in return for their generosity.
“As we have seen over the last year, Tory donors have received a very high return on their investment in the form of government contracts.
“Boris Johnson needs to stop using the office of prime minister as an opportunity to fund his lavish lifestyle and enrich his mates.”
