MPs call for inquiry over Boris Johnson's Spanish holiday

Opposition parties have called for an inquiry into Boris Johnson's free holiday at a Spanish villa owned by the family of minister Lord Zac Goldsmith.

The PM declared the trip on the Register of Ministers' Interests, saying he had "a longstanding personal friendship" with the family.

But Labour and the Lib Dems say he should publish details on the Register of Members' Interests covering all MPs.

No 10 said he did not need to and had followed all transparency rules.

The Register of Members' Interests is a list of any financial benefits MPs get away from Parliament, such as wages from a second job or gifts, like a company paying for a trip abroad.

The idea behind it is to keep a check on any conflicts of interest and to ensure MPs do what they think is the best thing for the public, rather than for any external influencers.

The Register of Ministers' Interests is similar but just covers government ministers, including the activities of close family members.

It can also cover non-financial interests, like if they are a member of an organisation away from Parliament.

But unlike the list for members, only the prime minister can dish out punishments for breaking the rules - for the wider group of MPs, they would face an investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.

A No 10 spokesman claimed the trip to Spain did not need to be on the MPs' register - where declarations often include the price - because it was not connected to his work as an MP.

It was "a family holiday at the home of longstanding family friends and is unconnected with a PM's parliamentary and political activities," the spokesman added.

"Given the hospitality was provided by another minister [Lord Goldsmith] it's right that the PM made this declaration in his ministerial capacity to ensure sufficient transparency."

But the two opposition parties said the prime minister had broken the code of conduct for MPs - the same rules the government tried to rewrite on Wednesday, before performing a U-turn.

Labour's deputy leader, Angela Rayner, has written to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Kathryn Stone, saying the public would draw the conclusion the PM was "dishing out cushy jobs to his friends who pay for his luxury holidays".

She told reporters Mr Johnson had "broken the rules more times than I've had hot dinners", adding: "If he's getting money and gifts that he's not declaring, that's very serious because we then don't know if these are people who are unduly able to influence the PM."

The Liberal Democrats said the Conservatives "don't have a shred of integrity left" after this week's row over standards.

"The Tories have shown they can't be trusted to mark their own homework on this issue," she added. "They are now the party of sleaze," added Lib Dem chief whip Wendy Chamberlain.

Mr Johnson took the trip to to southern Spain in October, with his wife Carrie and their son, and stayed in a villa owned by Lord Goldsmith's family for free.

The peer is a close friend of the prime minister's wife and gave her her first job in politics.

Goldsmith lost his seat as an MP for Richmond Park in 2019, but retained his job as an environment minister after Mr Johnson appointed him to the House of Lords.

The government is supposed to publish a list of any financial benefits received by ministers twice a year.

The most recent list includes the declaration that: "The prime minister has a longstanding personal friendship with the Goldsmith family and, in that capacity, in October 2021, stayed in a holiday home in southern Spain which was provided free of charge by the Goldsmiths.

"Given Lord Goldsmith is a minister of the crown, the arrangement has accordingly been declared."

But Labour says he should also publish the details in the MPs' register that would likely show the cost of the accommodation.

It is not the first time the PM has come under scrutiny for free holidays.

He was been criticised over how slow he was to explain the funding of his trip to the Caribbean island of Mustique shortly after winning the 2019 election.

An investigation by the Committee on Standards found Mr Johnson had not broken the rules but criticised the arrangements as "ad hoc and informal".

In her letter to the Commissioner, Labour's Ms Rayner claimed the PM had "a long history of breaching the rules in relation to parliamentary standards and other integrity and anti-corruption measures".

She also pointed to the ruling over the Mustique trip, which said he was "required under the House's rules to register the holiday accommodation he received".

Ms Rayner added: "We cannot have a situation where Boris Johnson behaves like it's one rule for him and another for everyone else.

"I would be grateful for your guidance on whether this is a breach of the rules, and whether you will investigate the Member of Parliament for Uxbridge and South Ruislip."

The PM's spokesman said Mr Johnson did not need to declare the holiday on the list of MPs interests as "ministerial code declarations fall outside the remit of the House of Commons registrar and Parliamentary Standards Commissioner".

He added: "The PM has written to the House of Commons registrar to set out that this holiday has been declared under the ministerial code, because the arrangement is with another minister."