Boris Johnson enjoyed free holiday thanks to defeated MP Zac Goldsmith who was made a peer
The prime minister is also being accused of "staggering hypocrisy" after he reportedly used a private jet to fly home from the COP26 climate change conference to attend a London dinner with another of his peer appointees.
Thursday 4 November 2021 13:45, UK
Boris Johnson enjoyed a free holiday thanks to the multi-millionaire failed London mayoral candidate he made a peer.
In an update to his register of interests, it has been confirmed that the prime minister stayed at a holiday home of Lord Goldsmith's family in southern Spain last month "free of charge".
Lord Goldsmith is a government minister who was previously Conservative MP for Richmond Park before he lost his seat at the 2019 general election.
Despite his rejection by voters in the south west London constituency, Mr Johnson subsequently made Lord Goldsmith a Tory peer in the House of Lords so he could keep his ministerial role.
The prime minister was last month reported to have flown to Marbella with his wife, Carrie Johnson, and their son, Wilfred, for a holiday after delivering his keynote speech at the Conservative Party conference.
Photos emerged of Mr Johnson painting at an easel while enjoying his break in the Spanish villa, which was reported to usually cost as much as £25,000 a week to rent.
Mrs Johnson is said to be a close personal friend of Lord Goldsmith, who she worked for in her first job in politics.
Lord Goldsmith was defeated in a 2016 contest to become London mayor amid accusations he had run an Islamophobic campaign against Labour's Sadiq Khan.
His sister, Jemima, is the former wife of Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan.
The updated entry in Mr Johnson's register of interests stated: "The prime minister has a longstanding personal friendship with the Goldsmith family and, in that capacity, in October 2021, stayed in a holiday home in southern Spain which was provided free of charge by the Goldsmiths.
"Given Lord Goldsmith is a Minister of the Crown, the arrangement has accordingly been declared."
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson has been accused of "staggering hypocrisy" after he reportedly used a private jet to fly home from the COP26 climate change conference to attend a London dinner with another of his peer appointees.
After attending the Glasgow summit alongside other world leaders, the prime minister flew to London where he met with Lord Moore at the men-only private Garrick Club, according to the Daily Mirror.
The newspaper published photos of Mr Johnson leaving the venue, just off the capital's Leicester Square, along with Lord Moore - a former newspaper boss of the prime minister - and said the pair had attended a reunion dinner for Daily Telegraph journalists.
In a newspaper column last week, Lord Moore described himself as a "close friend for 45 years" of Owen Paterson, the ex-cabinet minister who is currently at the centre of a Westminster sleaze row.
On Wednesday, the prime minister encouraged Conservative MPs to save Mr Paterson from a 30-day House of Commons suspension.
The suspension had been proposed by a parliamentary watchdog who found Mr Paterson had breached lobbying rules during his £110,000 a year private sector work.
Lord Moore, who was handed a peerage by Mr Johnson last year, this week accused broadcasters of "preaching" about climate issues and has previously dismissed claims of a "climate emergency" - a phrase which he described as being "invented to persuade government to coerce public opinion".
His reported dinner with the prime minister came after Mr Johnson on Monday told the COP26 summit that the world had "long since run the clock down on climate change" and there is now just "one minute to midnight".
Commenting on Mr Johnson's use of a flight to travel away from the Glasgow conference, Labour chair Anneliese Dodds said: "This is staggering hypocrisy from the prime minister.
"After warning world leaders it's 'one minute to midnight' to prevent climate catastrophe, Boris Johnson clocked off from Cop26, jumped in his private jet and flew down to London for dinner at a gentlemen's club with a self-confessed climate change sceptic.
"It seems that when it comes to taking action to tackle the climate crisis, there's one rule for the Conservatives and another rule for the rest of the world."
Mr Johnson's flight out of Glasgow had been confirmed by the prime minister's official spokesman on Monday.
Pressed on why Mr Johnson could not go by train for a journey within the UK, the spokesman said it was important he was able to travel round the country while facing "significant time constraints".
On Thursday, Mr Johnson's spokesman said the prime minister used a plane with "sustainable fuel" and the carbon emissions were "offset".
The spokesman also said the prime minister had "other issues" to attend to in London.