Prime Minister Boris Johnson is being investigated over renovation costs at his Downing Street flat. The investigation is looking into whether donations were declared correctly.
The Tory Party face an Electoral Commission inquiry over claims a donor initially covered costs. They are the watchdog overseeing political finances.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s standards adviser Lord Geidt is looking into if there are any donations that should be declared.
But Labour argue that Lord Geidt is not fully independent as the PM can ignore his findings, which makes the prime minister “judge and jury” in his own case. They are calling for a “fully independent” body to look into the issue.
Lord Geidt recently replaced Sir Alex Allen as the PM’s new standards adviser. Allen quit five months ago after a dispute over alleged bullying by Home Secretary Priti Patel.
The adviser role has “always been a direct appointment of the prime minister under successive administrations”. The role has been made more “pro-active”, but the prime minister remains the main arbiter of ministerial behaviour, including his own.
The Electoral Commission launched an investigation assessing the Conservative Party’s compliance with laws on political donations. This is because they say there are “reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence or offences may have occurred”.
A spokesman from the Conservative Party says they believe all reportable donations have been transparently and correctly declared.
Public grant
The prime minister receives a public grant of £30,000 per year to cover costs for renovations at his Downing Street flat. However, reports suggest the latest work could have incurred costs up to £200,000.
The PM says he paid the costs himself. But it is not clear whether this was when he first received the bill, or whether he was loaned the money and repaid it later.
MPs have to register any donations or loans which could influence their actions, within 28 days. There are many rules on the subject for ministers. But the government insists the prime minister “acted in accordance with the appropriate codes of conduct and electoral law”.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer claims all the prime minister need do is answer the question: Who paid for it in the first place?”.
He adds that the ministerial code should be overlooked by an independent adjudicator that can start investigations of their own volition. In his view, “it undermines the whole fabric” of the system if an inquiry can’t begin or conclude without the prime minister’s say so.
The government are currently facing legal action over its stance on the ministerial code. A union believes that decisions made under it should be subject to appeal in the courts. However, the government says the code is separate from the law and should stay that way.
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