No.10 Are In The Dark Over Boris Johnson Being Served With County Court Judgement For £535 Debt
A spokesperson for Boris Johnson was unable to explain the county court judgement against Boris Johnson (Alamy)
2 min read
Downing Street has said they are unaware of circumstances surrounding a County Court Judgement against Boris Johnson for a £535 debt.
Private Eye magazine first revealed the judgement listed on the County Court database which is registered to Johnson at "10 Downing Street" and dated October 26 2020.
Official records do not state who the creditor is, nor the nature of the debt, but a judgment means the court has formally decided the money is owed.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said “this is something we are looking into currently” after news of the "unsatisfied record” emerged this morning.
They confirmed the judgement had “nothing to do with the Downing Street refurbishment”, but beyond that was unable to say anymore about it.
CCJs can be issued if someone takes court action against an individual and they do not respond, and the government's own website warns bailiffs can be sent if judgments are not then paid.
In response to the news, Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner criticised "deeply concerning irregularities" in the Prime Minister's finances and linked the judgement to the renovation Johnson's flat, which Number 10 now say is not the case.
"This is not about Boris Johnson's personal finances, the record speaks for itself that he has already broken the rules on declaring his financial interests, and he is already under investigation regarding potentially illegal wrongdoing," Rayner said.
"The issue of debt when it comes to the Prime Minister is whatever debt of gratitude Boris Johnson owes to the Tory donor who paid to renovate his flat, and what this donor or donors were promised or expected in return for their generosity."
The PM’s spokesperson said: “I can confirm it has nothing to do with the refurbishment of the Downing Street estate, where all such bills have been duly paid either by the government or the Prime Minister personally.”
Asked if the PM could be trusted with the nation’s finances given the judgement the spokesperson said: “I think I think our record on the economy is very clear.”
Downing Street later responded by saying the PM will look to have the judgement stuck out.
A Number 10 spokeswoman said: "An application will be made for an order to set aside the default judgment, to strike out the claim and for a declaration that the claim is totally without merit."
According to the Daily Mail, the debt relates to a woman using the Online Civil Money Claims service to accuse Johnson of slander. The paper says she has raised multiple claims against the prime minister and other public institutions.
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