Downing Street flat: Standards adviser unhappy but not resigning at this stage, BBC told - BBC News
Lord Geidt is facing calls to reopen an inquiry into how the prime minister paid for a flat revamp.
Boris Johnson lives in 11 Downing Street with his wife Carrie

Boris Johnson's standards adviser is unhappy but not quitting at this stage, the BBC has been told, amid claims the prime minister lied to him.

Lord Geidt is facing calls to re-open an investigation into Mr Johnson, after new information emerged, which Labour says contradicts what the PM told him.

Downing Street says it will answer any questions the adviser might have.

The row centres on how a refurbishment of the prime minister's Downing Street flat was funded.

In May, Lord Geidt cleared the prime minister of a conflict of interest, after it emerged that Conservative peer Lord Brownlow had donated £52,000 to help cover the costs.

He said the prime minister appeared not to be aware Lord Brownlow had contributed from his own pocket.

But on Thursday, the Electoral Commission said in a report that Mr Johnson had sent a WhatsApp message to Lord Brownlow in November 2020 to ask for extra money.

Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said Mr Johnson should explain "why he lied to the British public".

Downing Street argued that the prime minster was "not aware of the underlying details" of Lord Brownlow's donations, when asked about the apparent discrepancy between what he told Lord Geidt and what the Electoral Commission had said.

Mr Johnson thought Lord Brownlow was overseeing the money, but he did not realise the peer was providing the money, as it was organised via a blind trust, his spokesman said.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, a No 10 spokesperson denied Mr Johnson had lied and insisted he had acted "in accordance with the rules... and made all necessary declarations".

Downing Street he would get access to any information he needed.

Speaking in the Commons, Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael said "it remains to be seen" whether Lord Geidt would "feel able" to continue in his role.

"But whoever does that job will have to do it with every assiduousness, shall we say, and exhibit perhaps a greater degree of curiosity, and perhaps a little less trust, than has been the case to date," he added.

Meanwhile, the Information Commissioner's Office has said it is asking questions after receiving a complaint over the Cabinet Office saying in a response to a Freedom of Information request from the Times newspaper that it had no records of any messages between Mr Johnson and Lord Brownlow.

Publishing its findings on Thursday, the Electoral Commission said Huntswood Associates Limited - whose director is Lord Brownlow - transferred £67,801.72 to the party in October 2020.

The peer told the Commission that, while £15,000 went towards covering an event, the remainder went to the Cabinet Office, which had paid three invoices over the summer, totalling £52,801.72, for the refurbishment of the private residence at 11 Downing Street.

Lord Brownlow also paid a number of additional invoices relating to the refurbishment directly to suppliers, totalling £59,747.40 - making the total cost of the works £112,549.12.

The Conservative Party declared the £15,000 event donation in its quarterly donation report to the Commission, but left out the other two sums for the refurbishment.

The commission concluded the £52,801.72 should have been declared accurately - rather than as a loan or as part of a trust.

The direct payments to suppliers did not need to be declared, as there was no evidence the party would pay him back or that the sum was covering costs already met by the Tories.