Boris Johnson has until Monday to provide latest response to London Assembly in Arcuri probe
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The London Assembly has given prime minister Boris Johnson a Monday deadline to explain why it can’t publish his response to corruption allegations.
A Number 10 representative delivered a submission to the assembly on Tuesday in response to an alleged conflict of interest in his dealings with businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri.
The London Assembly requested details of the prime minister’s correspondence with Arcuri both in a personal and professional sense.
However, the elected body has said the letter given by Johnson’s legal team did not divulge any of this information.
The letter was marked as “not for publication”.
Len Duvall AM, chair of the London Assembly oversight committee, today wrote a letter to Johnson demanding that he explain why the letter was marked as confidential.
He set a deadline of Monday at 5pm.
“Transparency and accountability are at the heart of the London Assembly’s operations and I was disappointed to see that your response is marked ‘Private and Confidential’ and ‘Not for Publication’,” he wrote.
“The reason for confidentiality is not given and, on the face of it, is unclear to me.”
Read more: Jennifer Arcuri blames media attack for scrutiny over Boris Johnson
The probe concerns more than £100,000 of funding awarded to the 34-year-old while Johnson was mayor of London.
The pair were reportedly close friends at the time, with some claiming Johnson was having an affair with the American entrepreneur
The tech entrepreneur was also chosen to be a part of a trade missions to New York and Tel Aviv, despite not having the required qualifications.
It was revealed on Sunday that Johnson wrote a letter of recommendation for the 34-year-old in 2012 for a £100,00-a-year quango job she was not qualified for.
Johnson has denied all notions of impropriety in his dealings with Arcuri.
“I may say that the current mayor of London could possibly spend more time investing in police than he is investing in press officers and peddling this kind of stuff,” he said last week.
Read more: Boris Johnson blames Sadiq Khan for fuelling Arcuri claims
Arcuri refused to confirm or deny whether her relationships with Johnson were of a sexual nature.