'Boris Johnson is tarnishing the role of Prime Minister with disdain for rules'

Boris Johnson splashed out on a costly refurbishment of his No 10 flat and then expected others to pick up the bill. To this end he tapped up a Tory donor without considering a conflict of interest

The Prime Minister should uphold standards in public life.

Since entering Downing Street Boris Johnson has tarnished the highest elected office in the land by showing an arrogant disdain for the rules.

Not content with the £30,000-a-year taxpayer-funded grant he gets towards the upkeep of his No 10 flat he splashed out on a costly refurbishment and then expected others to pick up the bill.

To this end he tapped up a Tory donor without any regard for whether this might pose a conflict of interest. The Prime Minister then offered a potential favour to the moneyman who arranged the donation.

If this were not bad enough, he withheld evidence of these communications from his own ethics adviser, Lord Geidt, who had been charged with his investigating.

Lord Geidt may have cleared Mr Johnson but you cannot escape the whiff of corruption surrounding this shabby affair.

Tax fuel giants

Soaring fuel costs are hurting businesses and putting a squeeze on families.

The energy crisis may have left households fretting about how they will pay their bills but it has proved a boon for oil and gas companies.

Between them Shell and BP raked in more than £10billion in the last three months of 2021. These figures will stick in the craw of anyone who needs to heat their home or fill their car with petrol.

To rub salt in the wound the firms have also benefitted from tax breaks and generous tax credits. If the Government is serious about wanting to help people with the cost of living then it should consider a windfall tax on these energy giants. Their fortunes should be used to spread greater fairness.

Tale of century

The 1921 census shines a light on a Britain struggling with social unrest, poor housing and a changing jobs market.

In 100 years will historians look at the 2021 survey and wonder if anything has changed?