How Damaging Are The Allegations Against Boris Johnson? A Political Commentator Weighs In

28 September 2019, 10:24

A police watchdog will decide whether or not to investigate Boris Johnson for a potential criminal offence relating to his links with US businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri.

LBC presenter Andrew Castle asked Chief Political Commentator of the Independent, John Rentoul, how damaging are the allegations against the Prime Minister?

John Rentoul said: "I think it's very damaging, obviously, if he broke the law."

He added: "The Supreme Court, everyone bangs on about Boris Johnson breaking the law but that was a government action that was found to be unlawful. That's rather different. This could be the criminal law that is broken by Boris Johnson personally and I think that obviously would be damaging to him. "

The allegations against Boris Johnson were first reported in the Sunday Times last week. They refer to claims that Arcuri received 'favourable' treatment from Boris Johnson when he was Mayor of London. The article alleges that her company received several thousand pounds in grants and that she secured invites to trade mission she initially did not qualify for.

Rentoul told Andrew Castle: "I think there is, on the face of it, enough evidence to at least warrant an enquiry."

He added: "If she benefitted from that relationship, that was clearly a misuse of public office when he was Mayor of London.

"It's where Boris Johnson's office intervened to allow her to join a trade mission to Tel Aviv, that could be a problem."