By Ben Kerrigan-
Labour opposition leader, Keir Starmer is pushing for answers on how Boris Johnson afforded the lavish revamp of his Downing Street flat.
It follows a claim from the Daily Mail that the Prime Minister told colleagues the bill was escalating out of control, while his chief of staff Dan Rosenfield was said to have felt the refurbishment was a “crazy arrangement” and a “mess”.
The newspaper has reportedly quoted reliable sources as stating that when aides asked the Prime Minister how much the upgrades were costing, Mr Johnson replied: “Tens and tens of thousands – I can’t afford it.”
Ahead of Prime Minister’s Questions, the Opposition party has presented a series of demands for Mr Johnson to answer.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “We have got to get to the bottom of what has happened with this flat.
“Who gave the money?“ Why was it not declared?
“And who does the Prime Minister owe favours to?”
“We will not rest until the public has answers,” she added.
The Conservative Party leader has faced numerous questions, following a fall-out with his former senior adviser Dominic Cummings, regarding how the revamp was funded.
Secret Payment
Dejected Cummings who left No10 last autumn after losing a power struggle, claimed in a blog last week that Mr Johnson had at least at one stage wanted donors to “secretly pay” for the work in an “unethical, foolish, possibly illegal” move. The revelation has led to a strong demand for answers as to how the prime minister funded the lavish make over for Downing Street.
Representatives of Mr Johnson said the prime minister paid for the revamp out of his own pocket.
As of December 2019, the prime minister was worth an estimated £4m.
A Tory donor is believed to have made a donation of £58,000 and that this money was initially used to pay for the refurbishment which was reportedly carried out by trendy designer Lulu Lytle.
Whether that was all the donation he received is at the centre of an inquiry tory Mps and the labour party are calling for.
The matter doesn’t look like one that will disappear anytime soon, leaving Mr Cummings happy that his leak is having effect. Equivocal answers are actively being sort.
Master Leaker: Dominic Cummings Image:CNN
Mr Cummings is also looking to expose claims that the prime minister was slow to address the pandemic in the UK when first brought to his attention.
Recent allegations that the prime minister said he would rather see bodies pile that approve the second UK lockdown has also sparked uproar, but the claims have been branded rubbish by downing street’s spokesperson.