Britain’s top civil servant is personally overseeing the fallout from the Downing Street renovation, Whitehall sources told Sky News.
Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, faces criticism from opposition MPs and figures in government over his personal involvement in sorting out the financial arrangements surrounding the reconstruction of Downing Street.
Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds, his fiancée, is said to have carried out a lavish renovation of the apartment above 11 Downing Street to replace Theresa May’s “John Lewis furniture nightmare”.
Issue 10 didn’t say how the overhaul, advised by eco-friendly interior designer Lulu Lytle, was funded.
An email leak this week suggested £ 58,000 in funding for a ‘Downing Street Trust’ came from Tory donor Lord Brownlow, although no donation was reported to the Election Commission.
It’s unclear how a trust could be used to fund last year’s renovation. The Tories deny breaking the law and Downing Street say no trust has been established yet.
The Election Commission is already in “discussions” with the Conservative Party as to whether the work on Mr Johnson’s private apartment was paid for by Tory donors and those payments should have been reported.
The Conservative Party said it was playing by all the rules, but the Election Commission told Sky News in a statement that talks with the party over “work at 11 Downing Street” were still ongoing.
The government has already said details of the Downing Street estate will be contained in the Cabinet Office’s annual report, which is due out just before the summer.
However, the news of Mr Case’s personal involvement in internal correspondence regarding the renovation has raised concerns within the government, with …
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-04-22 17:15:00