Boris Johnson facing questions over Caribbean holiday as Tory donor denies footing the bill
2 min read
Boris Johnson is facing questions over who paid for him and his girlfriend's New Year holiday to the Caribbean after a Conservative donor denied footing the bill for it.
The Prime Minister told Parliamentary authorities that his trip to Mustique with partner Carrie Symonds had been a £15,000 gift from Carphone Warehouse founder David Ross.
But Labour has urged the Prime Minister to "come clean" after a spokesperson for Mr Ross said he had not paid "any monies whatsoever" towards the trip.
The latest Commons register of interests for the Prime Minister includes a listing for: "Accommodation for a private holiday for my partner and me, value £15,000." The donor is listed as "Mr David Ross".
A spokesperson for the Tory donor told the Daily Mail: "Boris Johnson did not stay in David Ross’s house.
"Boris wanted some help to find somewhere in Mustique, David called the company who run all the villas and somebody had dropped out.
"So Boris got the use of a villa that was worth £15,000, but David Ross did not pay any monies whatsoever for this."
Asked about the declaration by the Prime Minister, Mr Ross's spokesperson said: "I believe it is a mistake."
And they said Mr Ross had "not put his hand in his pocket whatsoever and can obviously prove that – [he] most definitely did not pay anything and it was not his house.
"It was a house that was rented but the people could not turn up, so Boris Johnson got the use of it."
Labour has asked the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards to investigate the declaration.
Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Jon Trickett said: "Boris Johnson must come clean about who has paid for his luxury trip.
"If he fails to do so, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards should step in and make him fess up.
"The public deserves to know who is paying for their Prime Minister’s jaunts."
Downing Street sources insisted that Mr Johnson’s holiday had been properly declared.
Commons rules require MPs to provide information about any financial interest which they "might reasonably consider to influence his or her actions or words as a Member of Parliament".
They must declare gifts and hospitality within 28 days of receiving it - and serious breaches can lead to an MP being suspended from the Commons.
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