Boris Johnson planned to build a £150,000 treehouse for his son Wilf at Chequers, it has been reported.
The prime minister and his wife Carrie wanted to build the treehouse during autumn 2020 but had to pull the plug after it raised security concerns.
The treehouse's design included bulletproof glass but could be seen by the roadside, prompting police to warn the PM about the risks involved.
There were discussions about having Lord Brownlow, a Tory donor ranked the 521st richest person in the UK last year, fund the project, with plans for the treehouse drawn up for the country retreat, it has been reported.
Some No10 aides warned Mr Johnson against the project due to the cost and the matter of it being more expensive than some homes in many parts of the UK.
“He was told it would look terrible,” a government source told The Times.
The newspaper reports that it is unclear whether the Chequers Trust, which is the body that runs the Buckinghamshire retreat, would have accepted the plans due to the fact many of the trees in the grounds are protected.
A government spokesman said: “We do not comment on private or family matters which do not involve any ministerial declarations or taxpayer funds.”
Full details of the treehouse are unclear, although it was suggested the project was “extensive”.
Some luxury treehouses can include things like rope bridges and zip wires, while others have hot tubs and are let out on Airbnb.
Caryn Mitten, Blue Forest's marketing director, reportedly said play houses start at about £90,000 and go up to “whatever you want to pay”.
It's not the first time that the PM has caused controversy over home refurbishments.
Mr Johnson and wife Carrie did up the four-bed abode above No11, the residence of the Prime Minister, at a cost of more than £100,000.
The plush interiors were said to include gold wall coverings as the SNP accused him of “living it up like a modern day Louis the Sixteenth”.
But No10 insisted the £157,372-a-year PM paid for the revamp out of his own pocket, despite trying to set up a Trust to fund No10 repairs.
Brownlow committed £112,000 towards the refurbishment, including over £52,000 which was paid to the Conservative Party and £60,000 to Soane Britain, for refurbishments carried out by Lulu Lytle, the designer.
The Electoral Commission fined the Tory Party £17,800 for breaching electoral law over how the money was recorded
The Tories "failed to fully report" a £67,801.72 donation in October 2020 from Huntswood Associates Limited - a firm controlled by the Tory donor Lord Brownlow.
That loan included £52,801.72 to pay for revamping the flat, but the Conservatives only reported £15,000 - and left the other £52,801.72 out of public records, said the watchdog.
