Mr Johnson and Mr Cummings

Johnson denied he said “bodies piled high”

He is now on record denying it.

Whether Blair paid £500K or £350k (Johnson not clear) for refurbishment, it matters not if it was his own money.

The point is Johnson received money he didn’t declare as he should have done.

He broke ministerial law.

Tripping over his own bluster now.

I think they did the swap with GB while they were in office, didn't they. Johnson is actually in the No 11 flat too, isn't he.

He has had the opportunity to just say "yes, I did pay the original bill" but he still hasn't said it.

I don’t think it’s deflection as much as acknowledgement that many politicians are from the same mould once they reach high office. Sadly. Here and abroad. Seems to be the nature of the beast. Maybe that’s why we ‘don’t care’ as much as we ought. We pretty much expect it.

Did Tony Blair live in the Downing Street flat? I thought he lived next door? not that that has anything to do with what he was asked

PMQs

Follow the money!!

The bodies pile high

Can I just emphasis that seeing Johnson as an incompetent, a liar and corrupt, does not mean that I have suddenly taken a liking to Cummings? I loathe the pair of them. thought that the Barnard Castle affair was a turning point in the lockdown measures and that Johnson allowed himself to look a fool when he permitted this unelected machiavelli to give a press conference. This does not stop me from listening to what Cummings has to say, he has everything to lose and nothing to gain from 'grassing up' his previous employer. Also, I care not a jot for curtains from John Lewis or anywhere else, but I do care that the elected PM is a habitual and unapologetic liar, and that an awful lot of people seem to think that behaviour which would not be acceptable within their own family and friends is acceptable within government.

Oh I only saw it yesterday?

Whitewavemark2

Now we know that it was Lord Brownlow who has benefited from government contracts, and helped fund the flat.

I thought that had been disclosed days ago? Has it only just come to the notice of the press? I saw it on twitter several times last week.

The question is whether or not he's covered his back enough to have avoided breaking the law or the Ministerial Code.

He doesn't have to worry in the slightest about the Ministerial Code, Doodledog. He is the actual judge of whether or not a Minister has broken it...

As for breaking the law? The Electoral Commission has no teeth. Pffft... A bit of a fine (£s preferably paid by someone else) and a rueful grin and he'll sail on unbowed...

Besides, everyone is too busy thinking about their summer holidays to be worried about a corrupt PM

Urmstongran

^The question is whether or not he's covered his back enough to have avoided breaking the law or the Ministerial Code^

Like Nicola you mean?

If you like. I didn't realise she was the topic of this thread, though. Perhaps Iam64 would like to get the title changed?

I don't have expectations of honesty from those of high rank. I think Johnson has made himself a bad enemy here - DC is going to haunt him. Neither of them are trustworthy but if they knocked on my door, I'd rather have a chat with Alex than Dom.

It wasn't me, it was that big scary Scottish woman. Look at her, look at her....

Deflection won't work anymore. Never did, really.

Now we know that it was Lord Brownlow who has benefited from government contracts, and helped fund the flat.

The question is whether or not he's covered his back enough to have avoided breaking the law or the Ministerial Code

Like Nicola you mean?

The next challenge is that Johnson is using WhatsApp and text to run his government and these messages are not being handed over for recording by the civil service, and transparency.

A pre-action letter has been sent.

There should have been asterixes between 'lying' and 'has' in my post.

Urmstongran

^5 minutes ago — Watchdog say there are 'reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence or offences may have occurred'^

Note the words - ‘reasonable’ and ‘may’.

We will have to wait. Hold the line.

They aren't going to say 'We know the lying has definitely committed an offence', are they?

To me, there is no doubt that he has lied. The question is whether or not he's covered his back enough to have avoided breaking the law or the Ministerial Code.

Urmstongran

^5 minutes ago — Watchdog say there are 'reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence or offences may have occurred'^

Note the words - ‘reasonable’ and ‘may’.

We will have to wait. Hold the line.

If they are looking into it those are the words they must use until they have actually done the looking.

If someone did pay or loan him they money we need to know who and why and why the heck he couldn't just say what happened.

Blustering Conservative on Politics Live. "Sunlight is the best disinfectant" so very good to hear this.

Johnson has had days and days to come up with an explanation.

He hasn’t.

He squirms and wriggles and lies and obfuscates.

Reason?

Because he is guilty!

And ‘whether’ too.

Electoral Commission on No11: “We are now satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence or offences may have occurred. We will therefore continue this work as a formal investigation to establish whether this is the case."