Politics boris johnson

Boris Johnson told LBC that Theresa May left No. 10 looking like ‘a crack den’ – and the band played Believe It If You Like

Oonagh Keating. Updated October 9th, 2024

They say that a week is a long time in politics, and with the turmoil that has characterised the political scene in the UK for – well – a decade or so, Boris Johnson‘s Downing Street redecoration shenanigans almost feels like a different lifetime.

Here’s a quick recap –

After moving into Downing Street with his then girlfriend Carrie, Johnson had the flat refurbished at a reported cost of £58,000, initially paid for by a Tory donor, Lord Brownlow. When asked about who had covered the cost, the PM told the Commons he had personally paid for it.

He later admitted the Tory Party had provided funding ‘as a loan’, insisting he didn’t know where it came from specifically.

Problems arose when it was pointed out that Johnson hadn’t declared any donations relating to the flat, causing an investigation to be triggered. He was cleared of wrongdoing, despite Dominic Cummings reporting in his blog that Johnson had told him of a plan to get secret donations to pay for the redecoration.

After he was cleared, WhatsApp messages in which Johnson asked Lord Brownlow for more money were dismissed as irrelevant, despite them completely contradicting Johnson’s declaration that he didn’t know who provided the funds to the party.

The Conservatives received a fine for failing to declare Lord Brownlow’s involvement.

During an LBC interview with Nick Ferrari – well, it wasn’t going to be James O’Brien, was it? – Boris Johnson claimed he had to have the flat fully refurbished because of the state in which it had been left.

People had a hard time accepting his current version of events – particularly as the story at the time was that the flat was ‘too John Lewis’.

This is what they’ve been saying about it.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

Here’s Theresa May’s ‘crack den’ aesthetic.

The interview – like all the others intended to boost sales of his autobiography – has simply reminded people of another aspect of the sleaze that still clings to Johnson.

READ MORE

Boris Johnson escapes punishment for the Downing Street flat payment fiasco – 11 scathing responses

Source LBC Image Screengrab