91Èȱ¬

The Conservative Party helped Boris Johnson pay his legal bills when he fought allegations that he had used his position to "benefit and reward" a US businesswoman while London mayor.

The police complaints watchdog found "no evidence" Mr Johnson had influenced payments to Jennifer Arcuri and did not start a criminal investigation.

A Tory spokesperson said the party had given the PM "financial support".

This was because Labour had made the issue "party-political", they added.

The London Assembly's monitoring officer to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in September 2019 over allegations "from the media and elsewhere" of misconduct in a public office.

The investigation began after the Sunday Times reported that Ms Arcuri had joined trade missions he led, and that she had received thousands of pounds in sponsorship grants.

It also followed demands from Labour for a "full account" of what it called "grave and most serious allegations" against Mr Johnson.

The IOPC later found there was "some evidence" Mr Johnson and Ms Arcuri had had an "intimate relationship".

But the watchdog discovered "no evidence that Mr Johnson influenced the payment of sponsorship monies or participation in trade missions".

Ms Arcuri, a technology entrepreneur, has since claimed she and Mr Johnson had a four-year romantic relationship while he was London mayor.

A Conservative Party spokesperson said of the IOPC investigation: "This was a party-political matter, given this was a politically vexatious and motivated exercise by Labour politicians.

"Financial legal support was funded by the Conservative Party, as the matter was clearly a party political attack."

They added that the IOPC had thrown out the "spurious complaint", adding: "The House of Commons registrar was consulted [about the payment to the prime minister], and all appropriate rules were followed."

The Greater London Assembly's Oversight Committee is separately investigating "claims into preferential treatment" for Ms Arcuri while Mr Johnson was mayor.

Mr Johnson, who became prime minister in 2019, has always denied any wrongdoing.

On Monday, his spokeswoman, Allegra Stratton, said he had acted with "honesty and integrity" as London mayor.

She added that the prime minister would "engage" with the GLA's investigation but had "no case to answer" following the IOPC's findings.