British PM Johnson referred to police watchdog over businesswoman links

 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson attends a roundtable at Downing Street in London, Britain, September 19, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/Pool

 

LONDON (Reuters) - The government of London said it had referred Prime Minister Boris Johnson to Britain’s police watchdog for potential investigation over allegations of misconduct involving a U.S. businesswoman while he was mayor of London.

 

The Greater London Authority (GLA) said on Friday it had referred a "conduct matter" concerning Johnson to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which investigates complaints connected to the police.

 

The referral follows allegations, first reported by The Sunday Times, that when Johnson was mayor, he failed to declare close personal links to tech entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri who received thousands of pounds in public business funding and places on official trade trips.

 

Asked about the referral, Johnson's spokesman told Reuters: "The prime minister as mayor of London did a huge amount of work when selling our capital city around the world, beating the drum for London and the UK.

 

"Everything was done with propriety and in the normal way," he added.

 

Arcuri did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

 

The matter has been referred to the police watchdog because Johnson was head of the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, a role equivalent to a police commissioner, during his 2008-2016 term as mayor.

 

Under the referral, the authority will try to determine whether there are grounds for a full investigation that could lead to criminal charges of misconduct in public office.

 

The GLA said in a statement: "The Monitoring Officer of the GLA has today recorded a ‘conduct matter’ against Boris Johnson and referred him to the Independent Office for Police Conduct so it can assess whether or not it is necessary to investigate the former Mayor of London for the criminal offence of misconduct in public office."

 

It said the action had been taken in accordance with the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011.

 

In a letter to Johnson, the GLA said: “Subject to any explanation provided by you, these matters give rise to a suggestion that there has been a failure to safeguard the public purse and if so that amounts to a significant breach of public trust.

 

“These are the ingredients of the offence of misconduct in a public office,” said the letter from the office of the authority’s monitoring officer, which was made public.

 

The letter said Innotech, Arcuri’s then company, received 11,500 pounds ($14,000) from London & Partners, the mayor’s promotional agency, for two events in 2013 and 2014. She was able to attend a trade mission to Singapore and Malaysia in 2014 through Playbox, one of her companies, even though an initial application through Innotech had been declined.

 

The letter said the Monitoring Officer was also aware "from media reports and elsewhere" that Arcuri also had been allowed to participate in events around two other trade missions — to New York and Israel in 2015 — although she had not qualified for the New York mission and had been rejected for the mission to Israel.

 

Johnson has vowed to take Britain out of the European Union by Oct. 31. British opposition parties are discussing tabling a vote of no-confidence in Johnson as early as next week over his handling of Brexit, the Telegraph newspaper reported on Friday.

 

(Additonal reporting by Stephen Addison; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Neil Fullick)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-09-28

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15 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

The government of London said it had referred Prime Minister Boris Johnson to Britain’s police watchdog for potential investigation over allegations of misconduct involving a U.S. businesswoman while he was mayor of London.

Boom. 
 

More faecal matter hitting the fan. 
 

Walls must be covered in it by now. 

Edited September 28, 20196 yr by Bluespunk

How strange that it has just come up now and not earlier.

 

 

Uh oh Boris !

11 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Boom. 
 

More faecal matter hitting the fan. 
 

Walls must be covered in it by now. 

 

 

Rearrange these words into a well know phrase or saying...

 

a - Teacup - storm - in.

8 minutes ago, billd766 said:

How strange that it has just come up now and not earlier.

 

 

It’s always been there but now desperation sets in as Halloween approaches.

The knifeman Khan and a few met pinkos are clutching at straws, they’ll have him for unreturned Biggles library books next. 

10 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

 

 

Rearrange these words into a well know phrase or saying...

 

a - Teacup - storm - in.

No, don’t think I will.
 

This story is about criminal misconduct in office. 

 

Wonder what johnson got out of it all...

Edited September 28, 20196 yr by Bluespunk

Oh, boy, what "tempus horribilis" for him and more to come, the plotting of the SNP and Labour may well see him and Carrie homeless by the end of the week (well out of number 10 anyway), if this turns out to be as bad as it sounds, "miss conduct in public office", he can kiss his Ermine Rob goodbye as he will probably be barred from public office.

Nothing wrong happened, for sure, just that Bojo did behave, and still is, as he was a Roman Emperor, ...from the late decadent period, ...before having though really been proclaimed one. His 'inner circle' too much dirt to comment about, This whole bunch of vicious, wicked, self imbued, tory 'oils' deserve to be thrown off a rock, but, alas, know too well the penalty for their misdeeds can, just, at worst, be a fly sting on their muddied thick pig skin they will wipe away with other lies... And what do the, traditional, conservative electorate, yes, not only the small group of party members, think(!) about these, erm, individuals (need to remain polite in what I write)?

 

1 hour ago, twocatsmac said:

It’s always been there but now desperation sets in as Halloween approaches.

The knifeman Khan and a few met pinkos are clutching at straws, they’ll have him for unreturned Biggles library books next. 

 We should let big blokes get away with a few misdemeanors.  It's just youthful exuberance, It's not as if he's grown up and learnt his lesson

I wish they would just sort the bloody thing out now. The vote was to leave and thats it no deal or backstop. Tired to death of it and it is not helping by keep drawing it out. We clearly dont want to be in the EU so accept the vote.

It’s always been there but now desperation sets in as Halloween approaches.
The knifeman Khan and a few met pinkos are clutching at straws, they’ll have him for unreturned Biggles library books next. 

Remainers getting desperate again. Going for the man not the ball.
The tricks are getting dirtier.

2 hours ago, billd766 said:

How strange that it has just come up now and not earlier.

Agreed; Citizen Khan must have held this in reserve upon orders from on high.

It might gain more traction if she was a bloke!

3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

 

The referral follows allegations, first reported by The Sunday Times, that when Johnson was mayor, he failed to declare close personal links to tech entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri who received thousands of pounds in public business funding and places on official trade trips.

 

 

Just wounder about these public business funds, and by what right she as an American had access to them, particularly if "you know who" helped her access them, would be a crying shame if she had preference over a more deserving UK national, but there again I do not hear our racist Brexiteers crying foul.

Waitress, turned model, turned  pole dancer, turned  entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri - I wonder which of her talents attracted Boris first?

 

Her "enterprise" seems to have come to nothing - was the investment good value ? 

3 hours ago, chowny77 said:

I wish they would just sort the bloody thing out now. The vote was to leave and thats it no deal or backstop. Tired to death of it and it is not helping by keep drawing it out. We clearly dont want to be in the EU so accept the vote.

Yeah, it's really not fun when one cannot entertain one's mistress!

Ooops I forgot! It's about taxpayers' money!

Edited September 28, 20196 yr by candide

Shagger Johnson has a cupboard full of skeletons and as prime minister he is now under greater scrutiny. Looks like he threw public cash at the buxom American in return for a bit of how’s you’re father. Is anyone surprised by this revelation? He’ll soon be throwing little Carrie under his lying bus ... shame.

Misbehaving Etonians? What else is new?

LATEST PHONE TRANSCRIPT;

BJ; Donald, I’m on a sticky wicket. They’re on to me for finding some totty from public funds. What should I do?

 

 

DT; Dismiss it as a politically motivated attack. Your base will back you if they’re as stoopid as mine.

 

 

BJ; Thanks. I’ll try that. Adios!

Bonking Boris starring in Blonde on Blonde

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-blonde-leading-the-blond-she-was-sleeping-with-boris-f83wgtvm9

12 hours ago, rooster59 said:

"Everything was done with propriety and in the normal way," he added.

The old in-out was executed properly, without foreign implements or acrobatics, it was all over in 5 minutes.

2 hours ago, bannork said:

Bonking Boris starring in Blonde on Blonde

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-blonde-leading-the-blond-she-was-sleeping-with-boris-f83wgtvm9

Why now?

(As if I didn't know!)

Edited September 29, 20196 yr by evadgib

8 hours ago, AlexRich said:

Shagger Johnson has a cupboard full of skeletons and as prime minister he is now under greater scrutiny. Looks like he threw public cash at the buxom American in return for a bit of how’s you’re father. Is anyone surprised by this revelation? He’ll soon be throwing little Carrie under his lying bus ... shame.

a bit of how’s you’re father

 

More like a bit of who's your father.

14 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Boom. 
 

More faecal matter hitting the fan. 
 

Walls must be covered in it by now. 

 

Meanwhile long term Labor MP Keith Vaz, a career MP since his mid 20's continues without a care. 

 

He is very visibly unusually wealthy - several million pound homes; children all privately educated at expensive schools. He was also caught supplying class A drugs to Romanian rent boys whilst enjoying their entertainment.

 

The "investigations" launched by the Met Police went..................... nowhere fast. The stopped the one on unusual wealth because Vaz said he didn't feel well and was "off work"; although the was pictured out and about at festivals shortly after. 

 

British politics is corrupt. The whole lot want investigating - but no one's got the bottle.

4 hours ago, bannork said:

Bonking Boris starring in Blonde on Blonde

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-blonde-leading-the-blond-she-was-sleeping-with-boris-f83wgtvm9

 

At least he got better taste than loony Corbyn. He committed adultery with Abbott!

Referred by whom ? No doubt the poisoned dwarf. Utterly pathetic. All you're doing is ensuring a Boris landslide once Labour are forced to stop running away.

 

29 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

At least he got better taste than loony Corbyn. He committed adultery with Abbott!

Jeez, i didnt know that, very odd behaviour.

34 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

At least he got better taste than loony Corbyn. He committed adultery with Abbott!

At least Jeremy could claim it was all for party unity.

13 minutes ago, bannork said:

At least Jeremy could claim it was all for party unity.

 

 

Unfortunately, the words unity and Labour party have no place together.

9 hours ago, AlexRich said:

Shagger Johnson has a cupboard full of skeletons and as prime minister he is now under greater scrutiny. Looks like he threw public cash at the buxom American in return for a bit of how’s you’re father. Is anyone surprised by this revelation? He’ll soon be throwing little Carrie under his lying bus ... shame.

Lloyd George was known as 'The Ram' but thankfully in those days there was no social media to distract the public from the task in hand (winning WW1) & the likes of what is now termed MSM had a far more professional approach to discretion than they do now.

MSM these days are an absolute disgrace.