Boris Johnson’s resignation poses the question as to whether a number of political scandals relating to his time in power will ever be properly resolved. These are some of the outstanding matters. Wallpapergate The source of funding for the refurbishment of Johnson’s Downing Street flat and whether it broke the rules is back under the spotlight after the Independent obtained a leak of the invoice, which suggested it cost more than £200,000. A £30,000 taxpayer-funded annual grant is available to the prime minister for refurbishment.
Johnson initially claimed he had stumped up £58,000 for some of the renovations, but it later emerged that money was loaned by the millionaire donor and Tory peer Lord Brownlow – with whom Johnson had exchanged messages seeking funds for the works while promising to consider plans for a “great exhibition”. After an investigation, the PM’s then ethics adviser, Lord Geidt, criticised Johnson for acting “unwisely” but cleared him of breaking the ministerial code. Six months before Geidt’s findings, Cabinet Office minister Lord True told MPs “any costs of wider refurbishment in this year have been met by the prime minister personally”. Lebedev/Lavrov On Wednesday, Johnson admitted that, when foreign secretary, he met Alexander Lebedev without officials present in April 2018, during a trip to a castle in Italy owned by Evgeny Lebedev, the ex-KGB agent’s son, for a weekend-long party. On Thursday, Yvette Cooper used an urgent question in the Commons to ask if Alexander Lebedev sought to arrange a private phone call between Johnson and the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, during the trip. No substantive answer was given but Lebedev denied the claims. Parliament’s intelligence and security committee is inquiring into Evgeny Lebedev’s appointment to a peerage by Johnson despite initial concerns raised by MI5 about his father’s previous employment with the KGB.
Covid inquiry The inquiry into the pandemic formally opened last week but is not expected to begin hearings until next year. Its terms of reference include government decision-making with respect to lockdowns and care homes, as well as the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE). The award of Covid contracts to people with political connections through a “VIP lane” without tender has been highly controversial. Bereaved families have insisted that Johnson’s departure must not stop him being held to account. Partygate An inquiry into whether Johnson lied about Partygate is under way and has set a deadline of 29 July for the submission of evidence. The House of Commons is investigating whether Johnson deliberately misled parliament by repeatedly denying Covid rules were broken at law-breaking No 10 parties when challenged. He could be ordered to give evidence under oath to the inquiry. Pincher The final nail in the coffin for the PM was his changing story and handling of allegations in relation to his – until recently – deputy chief whip, Chris Pincher. After Pincher resigned following allegations of groping, No 10 initially insisted that Johnson was not aware of any “specific” allegations when he promoted him in February. Three days later, it acknowledged he had personally been aware of allegations against Pincher at that time. On Tuesday, it was conceded the prime minister had been informed about an internal investigation that upheld a complaint about Pincher’s behaviour in 2019, but parliament was told he “did not immediately recall” that he had been briefed. Pincher has had the Tory whip removed but remains under pressure to quit as MP, while details of the incident that prompted the 2019 inquiry have not been revealed.
Other Tory MPs under investigation David Warburton, the Conservative MP for Somerton and Frome, was suspended from the parliamentary party in April after a series of allegations relating to sexual harassment and cocaine use. Warburton, who is married with two children, told the Sunday Telegraph that he had “enormous amounts of defence, but unfortunately the way things work means that doesn’t come out first”. An unnamed Tory MP was arrested in May on suspicion of rape and other sexual offences. He has not had the whip removed but has been told to stay away from parliament.