Katy Balls Katy Balls

Boris acted ‘unwisely’ but cleared over Downing Street flat

Boris Johnson’s week has ended better than it began. After Dominic Cummings spent Wednesday launching a broadside against the Prime Minister over his handling of the Covid response, at least one of Johnson’s problems appears to be receding. This afternoon the government has published Lord Geidt’s report into the funding of the redecoration of the No. 11 flat Johnson shares with his fiancée Carrie Symonds. That refurbishment has been the subject of many column inches – with questions asked about whether donors initially funded the pricey project by the eco-designer Lulu Lytle.

At least one of Boris Johnson’s problems appears to be receding

Geidt – who is the Prime Minister’s adviser on standards – has concluded that Johnson did not break the ministerial code over the funding of the Downing Street flat refurbishment.

However, the report does not completely clear the Prime Minister. It finds that he ‘unwisely’ allowed work to go ahead on the flat without ‘more rigorous regard’ about how it would be paid for.

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