Jennifer Arcuri offers to share diary extracts of alleged Johnson affair with watchdog

21 November 2021, 11:08

Jennifer Arcuri has offered to help the Greater London Authority's ethics watchdog by sharing extracts of her personal diaries which detail her alleged affair with PM Boris Johnson while he was Mayor of London.

Arcuri has also agreed to be interviewed by officials, paving the way for a new investigation to be carried out by the watchdog, and possibly the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

The US businesswoman claims she had a four-year affair with Boris Johnson which began in 2012.

But questions were raised last year after it was revealed she attended three high-level trade trips and received £126,000 of taxpayer money in event sponsorships and grants.

The then Mayor of London did not declare a conflict of interest around Jennifer Arcuri during the alleged affair.

Last week, diary excerpts from Arcuri published in the Observer included detailed Arcuri's notes of the affair, including excerpts from conversations and phone calls.

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She alleges Johnson once told her: "You are going to get me in so much trouble."

She also claims the PM admitted he was aware of a conflict of interest when she asked him to "validate" her tech work publicly.

The excerpts claim Johnson overruled the advice of other members of staff to promote Arcuri's business interests.

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One entry from 2012 states Johnson told her: "I can barely control myself whenever I see you. You make me too excited."

The businesswoman has now reportedly written to Emma Strain, the Greater London Authority's monitoring officer, saying she is willing to share copies of relevant parts of her diaries, as well as be interviewed by investigators.

Now residing in the US, the Observer reports Arcuri has offered to entrust journalist John Ware with her diaries if travel to the US is not possible.

A previous investigation by the IOPC did not have access to these excerpts. Although the police decided no investigation was warranted, the IOPC found his failure to declare the conflict of interest may have violated the GLA's 2012 code of conduct.

If Strain decides the new allegations warrant a "serious complaint" she could refer the issue back to the IOPC for a new investigation.