Boris Johnson needs to cut the 'piffle' over Jennifer Arcuri claims
The under-fire Tory leader will soon have to front up to questions about his relationship with the US entrepreneur.
Sunday 29 September 2019 21:42, UK
I've lost count of the number of times Boris Johnson has clumsily dodged questions about his relationship with businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri.
He was asked six times on a plane heading for New York.
Sky News later put the question to him repeatedly. As did others.
And every time he simply replies with some kind of piffle - to use a word he's used in the past to dismiss probes about his private life.
The reality is, he cannot keep avoiding the questions.
The London Assembly Oversights Committee has written to the prime minister, demanding information within two weeks.
Members want details of all contact Mr Johnson had with Ms Arcuri, be it personal, social, or professional.
Because if there was some kind of a relationship, it matters. Mayors must declare all such interests.
We know Ms Arcuri, an unknown American entrepreneur at the start of her career, manages to secure personal appearances by Mr Johnson at networking events she is organising.
We also know her company won taxpayer-funded sponsorship on two occasions.
Ms Arcuri also goes on three international trade trips, one to Malaysia, one to New York and one to Tel Aviv.
She was told she couldn't be part of the main delegation going to New York, but a senior adviser to the mayor gets in touch with organisers saying she should be invited to some events, namely a lunch and a dinner.
When it came to the Tel Aviv trip, which had a focus around educational technology, she was told she would not qualify for a place on the trip.
But the same senior mayoral adviser who had secured her invites to New York events steps in again, and overrules the decision.
Ms Arcuri attends the trip and has access to much smaller, commercially meaningful events.
It's unusual for a decision made about invites to an international trip to be overridden in this way.
I understand it's never happened before, and hasn't happened under the current Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
So why won't Mr Johnson, who says he's proud of his time in office as mayor, not comment on this one?
He's finally said he "will cooperate" with the London Assembly's request.
And if members aren't satisfied with his response, they have the legal powers to make him attend in person.
Mr Johnson says assembly members are "barking up the wrong tree" with this issue.
We will know who is right soon enough.