Boris Johnson news – live: Sturgeon says ‘overpowering stench of sleaze’ as PM deemed ‘integrity vacuum’
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Your support makes all the difference.Nicola Sturgeon said there was a “stench of sleaze” surrounding the government that was “becoming quite overpowering” as Boris Johnson faced fresh allegations of cronyism.
Dominic Cummings said the prime minister planned to fund a refurbishment of his Downing Street flat through Tory party donors, drawing accusations from Labour that Mr Johnson was acting like the head of a “tin-pot dictatorship”.
Former attorney general Dominic Grieve said it was quite clear the prime minister had received “a significant gift” towards the job and accused him of running No 10 as a “cronyistic cabal”.
In an explosive blog post, Mr Cummings, the prime minister’s former top aide, also claimed Mr Johnson sought to block an inquiry into the leak of plans for a second coronavirus lockdown in England.
Downing Street has denied the move, which Mr Cummings said came after Mr Johnson discovered the inquiry would implicate a close friend of his fiancee Carrie Symonds.
Mr Cummings, who the prime minister had a day earlier accused of "systematic leaking", said Mr Johnson had fallen "far below the standards of competence and integrity the country deserves".
Ms Sturgeon called for an inquiry into the numerous allegations of sleaze that have hit the government in recent weeks.
Labour accuses Boris Johnson of ‘tin pot dictatorship’ behaviour
Labour has accused Boris Johnson of behaving like the head of a “tin pot dictatorship” amid allegations that he was planning to solicit secret donations to refurbish his flat in Downing Street.
Shadow communities minister Steve Reed said the government should publish any correspondence relating to payments or donations about the refurbishment.
“If people are making significant donations to the Conservative Party, to the government, we need to know who they are so that we can make sure the government isn’t doing favours for them in return,” he told Radio 4’s Today.
“That is what sleaze is all about. That is the behaviour of a tin pot dictatorship. Britain, frankly, deserves a lot better than that.”
Labour accuses Boris Johnson of ‘tin pot dictatorship’ behaviour over secret donation plan
ICYMI What did Cummings say about Downing Street flat?
In a blog post referring to the suggestion he was behind the leaking of information around the financing of Boris Johnson’s Downing Street flat refurbishment, Mr Cummings wrote: “The PM stopped speaking to me about this matter in 2020 as I told him I thought his plans to have donors secretly pay for the renovation were unethical, foolish, possibly illegal and almost certainly broke the rules on proper disclosure of political donations if conducted in the way he intended. “
He added: “I refused to help him organise these payments. My knowledge about them is therefore limited.
“I would be happy to tell the Cabinet Secretary or Electoral Commission what I know concerning this matter.”
Labour calls for release of payment details for Downing Street flat refurbishment
Labour has called on Boris Johnson to release full details of how the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat was paid for.
The government claims the prime minister stumped up the cash, likely tens of thousands of pounds, himself, however, former top adviser Dominic Cummings accused Mr Johnson of wanting Tory donors to secretly fund the work.
Steve Reed, the shadow communities secretary, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: "We are calling for the government to publish any correspondence relating to payments or donations around the refurbishment.
"We need to know the full amount that was spent and we need to know who paid for the work in the first place who the prime minister now proposes to reimburse."
He added: "If people are making significant donations to the Conservative Party, to the government, we need to know who they are so that we can make sure the government isn't doing favours for them in return.”
Key Johnson aide leaves envoy post
One of Boris Johnson's closest aides, Lord Udny-Lister, is leaving his post as special envoy to the Gulf amid scrutiny of his private sector work.
The peer served in City Hall as Mr Johnson's chief of staff when he was mayor of London.
When Mr Johnson became Prime Minister in 2019, he brought Lord Udny-Lister into No 10 as his chief strategy adviser.
He recently took up the post of Gulf envoy.
In that role, it was reported that Mr Johnson asked him to investigate after Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman complained the Premier League was blocking a Saudi takeover bid for Newcastle United.
Meanwhile reports in The Sunday Times in February suggested the Lord had been on the payroll of two property firms while he was also working in Downing Street.
Johnson’s long-term aide leaves role amid scrutiny over private sector work
Boris Johnson was accused last night by Dominic Cummings of lacking “competence and integrity”.
In a post on his blog, Mr Cummings made the explosive allegation – denied by No 10 – that the prime minister had made a “mad” and “unethical” proposal to shut down a leak inquiry to avoid annoying his fiancee Carrie Symonds after one of her friends was implicated.
Mr Cummings, who had been accused of leaking by Downing Street, said that the PM’s attempt to get Tory donors to pay for the redecoration of his flat was “possibly illegal”.
Boris Johnson wanted to drop lockdown leak inquiry to avoid upsetting fiancée, Cummings says
Sturgeon says ‘stench of sleaze’ around government is ‘overpowering'
Nicola Sturgeon has called for the government to be subject to a 'sleaze' inquiry looking at allegations of "contracts for cronies, donations for decorating and text messages for tax breaks".
Ms Sturgeon said in a statement issued on Saturday: "The stench of sleaze that is surrounding this UK Tory Government is becoming quite overpowering.
"There are very serious allegations being levelled at Boris Johnson and his Government, including by people who worked closely inside it.
"As someone who has recently been subject to far reaching inquiries and scrutiny, a thorough investigation is needed here given the range and seriousness of the allegations.
"The SNP has led calls for a full comprehensive public inquiry and that must happen immediately."
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