Labour Demands Inquiry into Claims over Spending for Boris Johnson's Byelection Visit

Angela Rayner alleges Boris Johnson ’clearly broke ministerial code’ after report on Hartlepool campaign accounts.

The claim was prompted by a report saying the Conservative party had not declared any spending relating to travel in the accounts it submitted for the Hartlepool byelection – even though the prime minister flew to the north-east for a visit that involved electioneering.

Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said Johnson had “clearly broken the ministerial code”, which says:

“Where a visit is a mix of political and official engagements, it is important that the department and the party each meet a proper proportion of the actual cost.”

She has written to the independent adviser on ministerial standards, Christopher Geidt, to demand an inquiry. “Yet again the prime minister behaves like the rules don’t apply to him,” she said.

According to the Insider website, Johnson’s first byelection visit to Hartlepool was on 1 April when he flew by private jet from Stansted airport to Teesside, where he made a visit relating to the minimum wage before campaigning in the byelection. He subsequently made two more campaign visits to Hartlepool.

No 10 has also refused to confirm that the Tories contributed to the cost of the flight.

Full story at The Guardian