Inside Politics: No 10 ‘intent on cover up’ over flat refurb, says Labour

Labour says Boris Johnson should stop ‘lying’ and finally reveal how his furnishings were paid for, writes Adam Forrest

Boris Johnson during a visit to Moreton farm in Clwyd near Wrexham, north Wales, on Monday (PA)

An Italian MEP has claimed the “great and proud” UK has “humiliated” the EU over its vaccine rollout. Antonio Maria Rinaldi suggested the EU uses a “good London law firm” for its lawsuit against AstraZeneca, since the Brits tend to know best about these things. Boris Johnson might want to contact a good London law firm pretty soon. Things are not so great and proud at No 10 right now. The PM and his team are desperately scrambling to come up with an explanation for how all the new Downing Street wallpaper and furniture was paid for. It’s even possible Johnson could be suspended from the Commons, if he’s found to have broken the rules.

Inside the bubble

Political commentator Andrew Grice on what to look out for today:

Keir Starmer has an embarrassment of riches to choose from at PMQs, given the various controversies engulfing Boris Johnson. Ministers will also come under pressure to do more to help India through its Covid crisis when they answer an urgent question from shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy. Elsewhere, the Treasury select committee will begin its inquiry into the Greensill Capital affair.

Daily briefing

CASH FOR CURTAINS: Labour is crying “cover up” over the cash for curtains scandal – accusing the PM of “lying” over the refurb of his Downing Street flat. Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said any loans or donations should have been declared by now (the PM said that if declarations had to be made, they would be made “in due course”). The Labour frontbencher fumed: “To be honest, he lied yesterday – that’s not good enough.” Tory HQ paid the £58,000 refurb bill nine months ago as a loan to Johnson, Cabinet Office sources have told the Daily Mail. But a No 10 spokesman refused to say whether the PM received a loan. No 10 also refused to say if a recent statement from press secretary Allegra Stratton – who said Tory funds were “not being used” – was incorrect. Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said senior officials “seem intent on a cover-up” – demanding an investigation into Stratton’s remarks. Johnson, remember, was previously warned of action by the Commons standards watchdog over “repeated” failures to declare his financial interests. So he could he face a suspension from the House, if the loan is confirmed.

POSH? NOT POSH ENOUGH: The furnishings fiasco has sparked a weird round of class warfare over the perceived poshness of John Lewis. Johnson and his fiancee Carrie Symonds wanted to replace Theresa May’s “John Lewis furniture nightmare” with stuff worthy of a “high-society haven”, according to Tatler. Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said: “I really like John Lewis myself.” Her colleague Jonathan Ashworth said it was “pretty good actually, pretty posh stuff”. Meanwhile, it’s emerged that Labour’s Alistair Darling was approached by No 10 last year to sit on a trust to handle the Downing Street renovations. The ex-chancellor wisely turned the gig down – fearing it would give donors seeking influence a way in, according to Sky News. He’s not the only one who raised eyebrows. No 10’s chief of staff Dan Rosenfield felt the refurbishment plan was a “crazy arrangement,” according to the Mail. It comes as Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey urged cabinet secretary Simon Case to reveal whether a Tory donor actually received anything in return for helping with the renovation, in a letter seen by The Independent.

COME ON, ARLENE!? Arlene Foster’s leadership of the DUP appears to be in real jeopardy – a development which has caught most at Westminster by surprise. A letter of no confidence in Foster has been circulated among DUP MPs and Northern Ireland Assembly members, according to the BBC. It’s thought that as many as 22 of the 27 party MLAs have already signed the thing. If that proves to be the case, the first minister will surely be facing a leadership contest. Foster – who scrapped a meeting NI secretary Brandon Lewis last night – said: “We’ll just deal with it and move on because I’ve bigger things to do.” Despite her fierce opposition to the protocol her party hates so very much, it seems it hasn’t been fierce enough for some. Speaking of Brexit, the EU Parliament was expected to finally ratify the trade deal last night (we’ll get the result of the vote this morning). Brussels leaders promised the UK will face properly tough action if it breaches the deal. EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen promises measures in the deal had “real teeth”.

RAGBAG REVIEW: More trouble for Boris Johnson over the ministerial code. The High Court has decided to look into the PM’s decision to clear home secretary Priti Patel of rule breaking following last year’s bullying claims. Johnson decided Patel hadn’t breached the ministerial code. But the FDA union for civil servants has argued that Johnson “erred” in his judgement – and the court has granted a full hearing on the matter. The FDA claimed the government had resorted to a “ragbag of arguments” rather than sticking to the principles in the code. Elsewhere, the sacked defence minister Johnny Mercer is facing calls to explain why he apparently promised two former soldiers facing murder charges that their trial would not go ahead. The case began in Belfast on Monday. The Peace Pledge Union (PPU), a pacifist group, said it was possible that some of Mercer’s claims could amount to government interference in a judicial process.

SAY HELLO TO THE CIRCUS: Scotland’s party leaders clashed over the possibility of a “wildcat” independence referendum on last night’s Channel 4 debate. SNP boss Nicola Sturgeon promised to hold only a “legal” referendum. “That’s the only way to get an independence vote recognised.” Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar: “Do we really want the next parliament to be an extension of this argument, frankly of this circus?” Unfortunately for Sarwar, the circus over indyref2 is only just beginning. The SNP was accused of sowing confusion about Europe and independence, after a senior party figure suggested it could be “desirable” to hold yet another referendum on EU membership, if Scotland secured its independence from the UK. Sturgeon has made clear she didn’t think a vote on the EU would be needed. But Michael Russell, her constitution secretary, said: “There are circumstances in which you could say it would be desirable to have a re-endorsement.” The Scottish Tories scoffed: “They can’t get their stories straight”.

DROP IN THE OCEAN? The alarming Covid crisis in India doesn’t appear to be easing, as the country’s death toll surpasses 200,000. The Foreign Office said the first plane-load of life-saving kit had arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday. The UK is sending 600 pieces of equipment – including ventilators and oxygen concentrators – in all this week. But top physician Dr Zarir Udwadia, who sits on a committee advising the Indian government, said the donation was “a drop in the ocean”. He told BBC: “It’s a political gesture – this will have a limited impact at this stage, sadly.” Asked if any of the UK’s surplus vaccines would be sent to India, a No 10 spokesman said: “We don’t have surplus doses.” Meanwhile, England’s vaccine programme has rolled on down to people aged 42. Health secretary Matt Hancock, Westminster’s most famous 42-year-old, said he was “really looking forward” to getting his invitation – urging others to book their jabs if they get a text.

On the record

“We really need to know who’s given the loan, who’s given the money, because we need to know who the prime minister is beholden to.”

Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth on why the flat refurb matters.

From the Twitterati

“I assume Allegra Stratton – whom I worked with for years – must have been misled. The cabinet secretary Simon Case will presumably wish the record corrected ASAP.”

Robert Peston claims Stratton was misled when she claimed Tory funds were not used for the refurb…

“Boris Johnson’s repeated denials that he said ‘let the bodies pile high in their thousands’ and ‘let it rip’ are not helped by the fact that the prime minister has built his entire career on what looks like pathological lying.”

…while David Lammy says Johnson has been misleading for years.

Essential reading

Tom Peck, The Independent: Did Johnson say it? Who cares, when the bodies really are piled high

Femi Oluwole, The Independent: Silence from Brexiteers, as our food sales to the EU plummet

Isabel Hardman, The Spectator: Can Labour make sleaze claims really stick?

Vidya Krishnan, The Atlantic: India is what happens when rich people do nothing

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