LONDON - The British Electoral Commission has announced that it has opened an investigation into the luxurious renovation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Downing Street apartment accused of spending more than he is allowed.
The prime minister receives a £ 30,000 public check to spend in the house at number 10, while Johnson and girlfriend Carrie Symonds are reported to have spent £ 200,000.
"There are reasonable grounds to suspect that one or more crimes have been committed. We will continue to work to see if this is the case," the watchdog said.
Johnson, meanwhile, claimed to the House of Commons that he had "covered" all the costs of the restructuring himself, responding to the attack by the Labor opposition leader Keir Starmer at Question Time. Johnson did not go into detail, however, and did not answer Starmer about who paid "initially" for those jobs: that is, whether the money was partly advanced by taxpayers, Conservative Party coffers or private donors. Johnson in parliament had a very tough battle with Starmer, not only over the restructuring, but also over the leaked media statement that Johnson said in October he would rather "corpses pile up by the thousands" rather than impose another nationwide lockdown. before changing your mind.The premier again denied having said those words; to which Labor leader Keir Starmer replied that "someone is lying" and that if it turns out it was Johnson who did it "before parliament" he should resign.