Breaking: Conservative Party fined for donation towards Boris Johnson’s flat refurbishment

Conservative Party fined for donation towards Boris Johnson’s flat refurbishment.

THE Conservative Party have been fined nearly £18,000 (€20,996) for failing to properly declare a donation made towards PM Boris Johnson’s Downing Street flat refurbishment.

The Conservatives have been fined £17,800 (€20,766) by the Electoral Commission for failing to properly declare a £67,801 (€79,100) donation for the refurbishment of Boris Johnson’s Downing Street flat.

The donation came from Huntswood Associates Limited, whose director is Tory peer Lord Brownlow.

“Our investigation into the Conservative Party found that the laws around the reporting and recording of donations were not followed,” announcing the fine, Louise Edwards, director of the Electoral Commission said.

“The evidence showed that the Conservative Party received a donation of £67,801 (€79,100) from Huntswood Associates Limited in October 2020 – £52,801 (€61,597) of which was to cover the cost of three invoices relating to the refurbishment of Downing Street. £15,000 (€17,496) was reported as a donation in the party’s Q4 2020 donation report; the remaining £52,801 (€61,597) was not.

“Our investigation concluded that the full amount of the £67,801 (€79,100) was a donation and should have been reported to the Commission. We also concluded that the reference to the payment made by the party for the refurbishment in the party’s financial records was not accurately recorded.”

“For the offence of failing to accurately report the full value of the donation from Huntswood Associates, the Commission has imposed a penalty of £16,250 (€18,953). For contravening the requirement to keep proper accounting records, a penalty of £1,550 (€1,807) has been imposed,” the report concluded.

It has been a bad month for Boris Johnson, who recently announced Plan B restrictions in the UK, after his Press Secretary, Allegra Stratton, was forced to quit her role following leaked footage of her joking about Downing Street’s Christmas Party last year during the UK lockdown.

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