BUSINESSWOMAN and ex-model Jennifer Arcuri told friends she was having a sexual affair with Boris Johnson, it was claimed last night.
The American tech entrepreneur, 34, is said to have confided to pals about an intimate relationship with the then-married London mayor.
Among the friends was a Conservative Party activist who said: “She told me they were sleeping together,” the Sunday Times reported.
That source also claimed Ms Arcuri would do nothing to shoot down rumours about her links to Johnson – and joked about blondes having “more fun.”
A US reporter who wrote a profile on Ms Arcuri’s business partner also made similar bombshell claims to the paper.
David Enrich, the financial editor of the New York Times, alleged that Ms Arcuri had revealed to uni friends she was sleeping with Johnson.
Two friends from her business class said they had been told by Arcuri that she was sleeping with Boris
David Enrich
He said: “Two friends from her business class said they had been told by Arcuri that she was sleeping with Boris.”
And during his research for the 2013 article, Enrich interviewed Ms Arcuri herself – who told him Johnson had warned her about speaking to the press, he alleged.
The Prime Minister, 55, has been plagued by allegations he improperly provided benefits to Ms Arcuri’s businesses when he was in City Hall.
She is at the centre of a growing row over £11,500 in public cash granted to her companies by an organisation headed by Johnson at the time.
And Arcuri was also given privileged access to three foreign trade missions in one year – despite her tech firm not meeting the eligibility criteria.
Initial decisions to turn her down for two of the trips were overturned after intervention by Johnson and his close team.
CASH ‘SCANDAL’
The PM has also been accused of helping her get a further £100,000 in Government grants and sponsorship for her companies.
Johnson was bound by the Greater London Authority’s code of conduct to “declare any private interests” relating to his “public duties”.
As Mayor, he was also required to take steps to “resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest”.
He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing – but has refused to comment on his close friendship with the young Tory campaigner.
Ms Arcuri has denied wrongdoing, but also refused to comment on her personal relationship with Johnson – who now lives with 31-year-old girlfriend Carrie Symonds.
Last night, the couple were seen arriving arm and arm ahead of the Tory conference in Manchester – which threatens to be overshadowed by the scandal.
Pressure on the PM increased on Friday after the unprecedented move to refer him to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
They will assess whether there should be a criminal investigation over his relationship with Ms Arcuri.
The referral came from the Greater London Authority (GLA), headed up by Labour mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
Furious Downing Street sources last night hit out at the move, branding it “nakedly political”.
A Downing Street Source told The Sun: “Due process has not been followed and the timing is overtly political.
“The public and media will rightly see through such a nakedly political put-up job.”
Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers said the issue had been “blown out of all proportion”.
‘EVERYTHING DONE PROPERLY’
Johnson has previously said that he will co-operate with any investigation into his links with Ms Arcuri by the London Assembly.
The PM has insisted “everything was done entirely in the proper way” over his professional dealings with her.
A No 10 spokesman said: “The Prime Minister, as mayor of London, did a huge amount of work when selling our capital city around the world, beating the drum for London and the UK.
“Everything was done with propriety and in the normal way.”
Arcuri said in a statement last week: “Any grants received by my companies and any trade mission I joined were purely in respect of my role as a legitimate businesswoman.”
The latest allegations of infidelity follow a string of high-profile stories involving father-of-four Johnson’s private life.
He’s alleged to have had multiple affairs during his 25-year marriage to second wife Marina Wheeler – including one that resulted in a lovechild.
Lawyer Ms Wheeler filed for divorce last year before Johnson went public with his relationship with former Tory staffer Carrie Symonds.
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