12 May 2021•Update: 12 May 2021
LONDON
A county court has issued a judgement against British Prime Minister Boris Johnson over an unpaid debt of £535, according to the magazine Private Eye.
Private Eye found the judgement in official records; it was handed to the prime minister on 26 October last year. The records do not say who the creditor is or what the debt is for.
The existence of a county court judgement suggests that he was contacted previously about the debt but still failed to repay it.
However, the amount is still quite small, and local media such as the Guardian said it is likely the debt was not repaid “through disorganization rather than an inability to pay”.
It added that a failure to pay these debts after a county court judgement can affect peoples’ credit ratings, and can even lead to the county court asking a bailiff to collect the debt.
Downing Street have not commented so far.
Johnson’s finances have been under high levels of media scrutiny in recent weeks and months due to the controversial refurbishment of his Downing Street flat.
Local media have speculated the refurbishment could have cost as much as £200,000. Johnson insists he eventually paid the full amount himself, but it is still unclear if he was initially loaned the money.
This lack of clarity has led to an Electoral Commission inquiry into the funding of the renovation.
On Monday, the UK’s parliamentary standards commissioner announced that Johnson was under investigation for breaching MPs’ code of conduct over who paid for his Caribbean holiday in Christmas 2019.
