Boris Johnson defends himself over Jennifer Arcuri links as he insists everything was done ‘with full propriety’

Boris Johnson has insisted there was “no interest to declare” amid a storm over his links to US businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri while he was Mayor of London. 

The Sunday Times reported this week that Ms Arcuri, a former model, had told friends the pair had an affair while Mr Johnson was in City Hall. 

Last week the same paper revealed that the former model had received £126,000 of public money and went on three overseas trade missions led by now Prime Minister.

But, quizzed over the links today, Mr Johnson told The Andrew Marr show: “Everything was done with full propriety.”

Pressed on whether he declared an interest relating to his links with Ms Arcuri, he said: “There was no interest to declare…

“Let’s be absolutely clear, I am very, very proud of everything that we did and certainly everything that I did as mayor.”

He also accused his successor Sadiq Khan of “peddling” the reports, adding: “I may say that the current mayor of London could possibly spend more time investing in police officers than he is investing in press officers and peddling this kind of stuff.”

Asked about the issue later on a visit to North Manchester General Hospital as the Tory Party conference got under way, said he was “very happy with everything that I did as mayor of London and very proud of the record that we have”.

“Everything that I did when promoting London overseas or whatever and making my speeches was done in complete conformity with the code and the rules,” he said. 

Asked if he misused public funds, he said: “Everything I did was in complete conformity with the rules.”

Mr Johnson has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct to consider whether there are grounds to investigate the Prime Minister for the criminal offence of misconduct in public office.

He cannot be investigated by the Metropolitan Police as he was in charge of the force at the time. 

Mr Johnson has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to his links with Ms Arcuri.

The Sunday Times said that David Enrich, now the finance editor of The New York Times, had said he had been told of the alleged relationship by two of Ms Arcuri’s friends when he was working for another newspaper.

Mr Enrich said he had been working on an article on Ms Arcuri’s business partner for the Wall Street Journal, published in 2013, when he interviewed her and spoke to a number of people in her close circle.

“Two friends from her business class said they had been told by Ms Arcuri that she was sleeping with Boris. They told me that before and after that story ran,” he told the paper.

Downing Street refused to comment on the report.