British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will not face criminal action following allegations of misconduct over his relationship with a U.S tech entrepreneur but he might have had an intimate relationship with her, the police watchdog said on Thursday.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched an investigation last September following a newspaper report that Johnson, when mayor of London, had failed to disclose his personal links to Jennifer Arcuri, who received thousands of pounds in public funding and places on official trade trips.
Johnson denied any wrongdoing, saying everything was done with full propriety and that there was no interest to declare.
The IOPC’s Director General Michael Lockwood said there was no evidence to indicate Johnson influenced any payments to Arcuri or influenced her participation in trade missions.
But Lockwood said “there was evidence to suggest that those officers making decisions about sponsorship monies and attendance on trade missions thought that there was a close relationship between Mr Johnson and Ms Arcuri, and this influenced their decision-making”.
Johnson’s spokesman welcomed the fact that “this politically motivated complaint had been thrown out”, saying it was a waste of police time.
