Ian Payne 4am - 7am
Jennifer Arcuri: Boris Johnson given 14 days to explain links to US businesswoman
24 September 2019, 17:14
Boris Johnson has been given 14 days to explain links between himself and a US businesswoman who he awarded public funds to while he was London Mayor.
City Hall has the legal power to summon Boris Johnson to give evidence in person if he fails to respond to the letter's request.
A Sunday Times article claimed Jennifer Arcuri joined Mr Johnson on international trips and received thousands of pounds of grants.
City Hall confirmed she joined Boris Johnson on a trade trip to Malaysia in November 2014, a trip to New York in February 2015, and a third trip to Tel Aviv in November 2015.
The letter, sent today, demands "details and a timeline of all contact with Jennifer Arcuri including social, personal and professional during his period of office as Mayor of London".
It also calls for "an explanation of how that alleged personal relationship was disclosed and taken into account in any and all dealings with the GLA and other parts of the GLA family."
Boris Johnson has insisted that "everything was done entirely in the proper way."