Nadhim Zahawi has said it is “absolutely not true” that Boris Johnson’s failed attempt to overhaul the parliamentary process for investigating sleaze was a “pre-emptive strike” against the commissioner for standards.
The education secretary conceded yesterday that the government’s attempt to block the suspension of Owen Paterson for breaching lobbying rules had been “a mistake”, but he denied claims that Johnson had been seeking to undermine Kathryn Stone.
Last night Labour wrote to Stone, demanding that she launch an inquiry into the funding of the makeover of Johnson’s Downing Street flat after Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s former chief adviser, said this week’s botched standards overhaul had been a “pre-emptive strike” before a potential investigation.
• Red Box: Outburst reveals Tory fury over Owen Paterson — and the ‘cruelty’ of politics
Lord Brownlow of Shurlock Row, a Tory donor, loaned the prime minister £53,000 to pay for a refurbishment of the apartment above 11 Downing Street after Johnson exceeded his annual taxpayer-funded allowance of £30,000 for renovations.
Advertisement
The Electoral Commission has completed its own investigation into the funding of the refurbishment of Johnson’s flat, prompting speculation that Stone could open her own independent inquiry when the commission’s findings are released. The commission’s report has been submitted to the Conservative Party.
Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, demanded an investigation by Stone and accused the prime minister of “bullying” the commissioner. “Boris Johnson’s attempt to make Conservative MPs judge and jury over allegations of corruption and rule-breaking was a blatant attempt to prevent the commissioner from investigating his latest breaches of the rules,” she said.
Lord Geidt, 60, the prime minister’s independent adviser on ministerial standards, cleared Johnson of any wrongdoing earlier this year following a separate investigation. He concluded that the prime minister only found out who was paying for the redecoration of his apartment after reading about it in the Daily Mail and could not have been expected to declare the loan.
In a separate interview, Zahawi told the BBC that he had not read a 175-page ethics report on Paterson’s conduct. He said: “I actually haven’t read the report, so it would be unfair of me to go into the details.” Asked why he had voted on the report without reading it, he replied: “I’ve looked at the report, I haven’t gone into the details.”
