No 10 refuses to say if Boris Johnson asked for help with childcare costs

Labour said the Prime Minister must come clean on his attempts to get Tory backers to fund his lifestyle.
Downing St has said Boris Johnson met the costs of his son's childcare himself (Lindsey Parnaby/PA)
PA Wire
Gavin Cordon4 May 2021

Labour has renewed calls for Boris Johnson to come clean about his dealings with Tory donors after Downing Street refused to say whether he had asked for help with childcare costs.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Mr Johnson had covered all the costs for childcare for his one-year-old son Wilfred himself.

However the spokesman refused to be drawn on whether the Prime Minister had previously approached supporters to pay for a nanny.

The Prime Minister has covered the costs of all childcare. I have nothing more to add

The Prime Minister's official spokesman

The Sunday Times quoted one party backer as complaining that they had been asked for a donation, adding: “I don’t mind paying for leaflets but I resent being asked to pay to literally wipe the Prime Minister’s baby’s bottom.”

In response, Mr Johnson’s spokesman said: “The Prime Minister has covered the costs of all childcare.

“I have nothing more to add to that.

“I am not going to be getting into any more detail.”

The report comes amid continuing questions over how Mr Johnson paid for the reported £200,000 refurbishment of his Downing Street flat.

The Prime Minister has insisted he met the cost himself but has refused to say whether initial bills were paid by donors.

Angela Rayner
PA Wire

The Electoral Commission last week launched an inquiry into whether any loans or donations made in connection with the refurbishment work had been properly declared.

The Prime Minister’s new adviser on ministerial standards, Lord Geidt, and the Cabinet Secretary, Simon Case, are also looking into the matter.

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner called on Mr Johnson and the Conservative Party to publish all correspondence relating to his attempts to get Tory donors to fund his lifestyle.

“We are seeing what looks like another cover up from the Prime Minister, who is trying to hide his attempts to fund his lifestyle through secret payments from wealthy Tory donors,” she said.

“Boris Johnson forcing his MPs to vote against free school meals and making stealth cuts to schools at the same time as asking Tory donors to pay for his own childcare is yet more evidence that it’s one rule for him and his mates, another for everyone else.

“What did these donors expect in return for their generosity, and what were they promised?”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in