BBC News
Published
image captionBoris Johnson with Jennifer Arcuri at an event in 2014
Boris Johnson has been quizzed over whether he acted with honesty and integrity in his relationship with US businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri.
The prime minister gave a single word reply: Yes .
He was challenged about the issue by Huffpost Political Editor Paul Waugh at a Downing St Covid press conference.
The PM has faced renewed questions over his dealings with Ms Arcuri when he was London mayor. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Ms Arcuri received £126,000 of public money in the form of grants for her technology business and event sponsorship. She was also given access to three foreign trade missions led by Mr Johnson.
‘People should not form the impression there are lots of people doing two jobs’: PM defends civil service as Greensill probes launch
Johnson praises Whitehall’s pandemic work and says public would be wrong to think moonlighting is common
Boris Johnson Photo PA
20 Apr 2021
Prime minister Boris Johnson has spoken in defence of senior civil servants as the Greensill Capital lobbying scandal has shone a spotlight on top officials’ second jobs as well as former PM David Cameron’s work for the firm.
Johnson said it would be wrong to conclude it was common for senior officials to have second jobs following the revelation last week that former chief commercial officer Bob Crothers was on the payroll of Greensill while he was still a civil servant.
Minister urged to ‘grasp the nettle’ and prioritise local government standards
The Committee on Standards in Public Life has still had no response from local government minister Luke Hall to indicate when the government will respond to a report on standards in the sector more than two years after it was published, despite “regular chasing” by the committee’s staff.
There is mounting pressure on Mr Hall to publish the response, particularly after he sent a letter to the chair of the National Association of Local Councils more than six weeks ago pledging that he would respond “shortly” to the report, admitting that the response was overdue .
At least 13 highly paid bureaucrats had second jobs during time at Whitehall
In wake of lobbying scandal, Telegraph investigation finds more than a dozen of most senior civil servants had private sector roles
20 April 2021 • 9:30pm
Sir Stephen Lovegrove, 54, centre, joined the civil service in 2007 after working as an investment banker for nearly 10 years. He had a leading role in organising the 2012 London Olympics before becoming the head of the Department of Energy and Climate in 2013. He became the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence just three years later, earning a salary of £190,000 a year.
At least 13 of the highest paid mandarins and bureaucrats have held second roles during their time in Whitehall, an investigation by The Telegraph has found.
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