Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
Politics
Torcuil Crichton

Boris Johnson prepares for Downing Street flitting while on second summer holiday

Boris Johnson has called in the removal men to Downing Street while he is taking his second holiday of the summer.

Two big removal trucks, one of which was from the same firm as when the PM moved in, were spotted parked nose-to-tail outside Downing Street on Monday.

Downing Street was unclear on whether the Prime Minister could take the £840-a-roll wallpaper by designer Lulu Lytle which Johnson had installed in the flat above the famous address would be leaving with him.

His spokesman confirmed anything the PM paid for himself in a luxury refurbishment in 2020 could be taken with him.

Only things that were paid for by a £28,647 Cabinet Office grant must stay. They included painting and sanding of floorboards.

The other £112,000 in the makeover was originally paid for by a Tory donor but reimbursed by Boris Johnson after a furore.

Johnson was subject to months of lurid headlines about the refurbishment of the No10 flat.

A probe found he originally assumed a charitable trust, led by Tory donor Lord Brownlow, would fund the work but it later emerged the big party donor had paid all the money himself.

While Westminster awaited reports of wether a wallpaper steamer was required the ‘out of office” Prime Minister was on his second holiday of the summer as voters braced themselves for the impact of soaring energy costs.

Johnson jetted to Greece on the weekend for his second holiday in two weeks.

The lame duck PM, who last month vowed to “carry on” his “duty” as Prime Minister,was seen with his wife Carrie shopping for food and wine.

Boris Johnson and wife Carrie are leaving Downing St but can take their furnishings with them (Stefan Rousseau/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo)

His political ally Brandon Lewis denied the PM had “thrown in the towel”, telling LBC: “Even when you are not in the office in Downing Street you are working.”

But the PM’s spokesman said firmly “he’s on leave this week” and would only be making urgent decisions, such as on national security issues.

He confirmed the PM would not be working on his red box and day-to-day work, adding: “He will be contactable, any urgent decisions to be made he will obviously be involved and lead that, but he is on leave.”

Asked why the PM was taking two holidays, rather than waiting until after he is ousted on September 6, the spokesman replied: “I don’t have anything for you on that.”

READ NEXT:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.