Boris Johnson is a liar, official reports confirm

LONDON-Boris Johnson is a liar.

This is not a new allegation against a man who has fired from his first proper job as a journalist for dishonesty and fired from his first major political role for frugality with the truth. But this is the first time that an independent watchdog has officially cataloged one of his falsehoods and published the findings in an official report.

Despite giving birth to a second child with his current wife on Thursday – believed to be his seventh or eighth total – Johnson is enduring the worst week of his prime ministerial term.

The latest insult – or confirmation – that Britain’s leader is not an honest person follows another crisis born of the prime minister’s inability to tell the truth.

Last week, Mirror The newspaper reported that a large Christmas party was held at Johnson’s official residence, 10 Downing Street, late last year, contrary to the closure rules he has imposed on the rest of the country. Instead of apologizing for the insensitivity of hugging a snap while thousands of Britons are unable to give their dying loved ones one last hug in hospital or share his last festive season. because they followed the rules, Johnson told the House of Commons. that no such party had ever taken place.

Over the course of seven days, that particular scammer unraveled and Johnson resorted to asking Britain’s most senior civil servant to organize an investigation into whether he told Parliament the truth. .

On Wednesday this week, the prime minister’s credibility came under attack from the media, opposition politicians, the public and – importantly – his own Conservative Party colleagues. On Thursday, the latest blow to his faltering integrity came from the Election Commission.

The Democratic watchdog was tasked with reviewing luxury refurbishment work carried out in Johnson’s private Downing Street apartment last year. Boris and Carrie Johnson were not satisfied with the $40,000 annual stipend in public money, reportedly spending more than $250,000 in total, including wallpaper that sold for more than $1,000 a roll.

The additional costs were covered through a complex series of loans and donations from private supporters through the Conservative Party. Johnson returned the money after the news of the splendid refurbishment hit the newspapers.

The Electoral Commission announced on Thursday that it was fined the Conservative Party for “failing to properly report a donation” of £52,000 ($69,000) from Lord Brownlow towards redecoration costs.

Worse for Johnson, the Commission’s report also found that the prime minister had failed to tell the truth during an earlier inquiry into the matter.

The Prime Minister told Lord Geidt, independent adviser to ministers’ interests, that he did not know who had donated the money until it appeared in the newspaper in February 2020. Lord Geidt has no real power. to investigate whether that was the case and he cleared the prime minister of violating the ministerial rule in May.

The Election Commission had that right. It decided it had “reasonable grounds to suspect that an offense was committed” and made legitimate requests for receipts. It collects evidence including bank statements, invoices and WhatsApp messages.

Among those messages was a WhatsApp message from Johnson asking Lord Brownlow to allow further refurbishment works by November 2020 — three months before Johnson announced he knew who was donating.

No 10 argued on Thursday that Johnson did not know Lord Brownlow was the “final sponsor”.

Angela Rayner, deputy leader of the Labor Party, said Johnson “now has to explain why he lied to the British public.”

“Boris Johnson has considered the British public to be fools. Not only did he break the law, but he mocked the standards we expect from our prime ministers.”