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Electoral Commission launches inquiry into Boris Johnson flat refurb

Watchdog say there are ‘reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence or offences may have occurred’
A formal investigation into how Boris Johnson funded refurbishments to his Downing Street flat has been launched by the Electoral Commission, which said there were “reasonable grounds” to suspect multiple offences may have been committed.
After reports the prime minister was given a £58,000 loan from a Conservative donor and peer to help foot the bill for redecorations to the No 11 residence, which ministers and the Tory party have not denied, the watchdog escalated its involvement – an hour before prime minister’s questions on Wednesday.
It has also emerged that a new adviser on ministerial standards has been picked, after the role remained unfilled for months following the departure of Sir Alex Allan, who quit after Johnson overruled his finding that the home secretary, Priti Patel, had breached the ministerial code by bullying staff.
Allan’s replacement has been announced as Christopher Geidt, a private secretary to the Queen for a decade until 2017. Negotiations over Lord Geidt’s role have been going on for some weeks. He will be tasked with an immediate inquiry into the flat refurbishment payments.
Johnson had denied any wrongdoing, and the government insisted he met all costs of the makeover “personally”, repeatedly insisting no party funds were used.
Pressure grew on the prime minister overnight to come clean about the funding. A cabinet minister urged him to “start with the truth” and a Tory MP admitted: “There’s a reasonable set of questions that need to be answered – our position at the moment isn’t ideal.”
Following a week of discussions between the Electoral Commission and Conservative headquarters, the watchdog said it would look at “whether any transactions relating to the works at 11 Downing Street fall” could have fallen foul of legal donation reporting requirements.
It added: “There are reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence or offences may have occurred.” The commission has the power to issue “disclosure notices” requiring people and organisations to provide documents and information.
The scandal escalated over the weekend, when Johnson’s former top adviser and ally Dominic Cummings posted a blogpost in which he claimed the prime minister revealed his “plans to have donors secretly pay for the renovation”.
Cummings said he warned Johnson at the time they were “unethical, foolish, possibly illegal and almost certainly broke the rules on proper disclosure of political donations”.
Labour’s lawyers had upped pressure on the Electoral Commission to act several days’ later, writing to it to call for an investigation into “potential offences or other actions that may have contravened” the legislation governing political parties’ spending.
source: Aubrey Allegretti
Levant
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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