Boris Johnson declares (some of) his holiday: PM reveals he enjoyed free hospitality worth £1,800 at Heathrow VIP lounge before jetting off to Zac Goldsmith’s Marbella estate – but STILL refuses to say how much the family trip was worth
- PM enjoyed Windsor Suite facilities before he Carrie and Wilfred went to Spain
- Facility previously used by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Adele
- Guests get their own butler and Michelin-standard food as they wait for flight
Boris Johnson enjoyed a freebie worth £1,800 at an exclusive private lounge at Heathrow Airport before getting off on a free holiday at the Spanish estate of one of his ministers, it was revealed today.
The Prime Minister confirmed he enjoyed the facilities at the Windsor Suite – which gives guests their own personal butler – before he and wife Carrie jetted off to Marbella with their son Wilfred.
The facility has previously been used by VIPs including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the singer Adele.
The information was revealed in his updated entry in the MPs’ register of interests, which shows he was given it free by the airport.
However, Mr Johnson has still not registered the holiday at the Torre Tramores estate, which had a rental value of £25,000 per night, in the same register.
He has previously refused to, saying that because it is owned by Lord Goldsmith, a friend of his wife and a Foreign Office minister, he does not have to.
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said: ‘It is utterly ludicrous that the only donation that Boris Johnson has declared related to his latest freebie luxury holiday is the hospitality he enjoyed in the lounge waiting for his plane.
‘The Prime Minister was given a gift by someone that he gave a peerage and a ministerial job to and the Prime Minister needs to tell us the truth about his donations.’
The Prime Minister confirmed he enjoyed the facilities at the Windsor Suite – which gives guests their own personal butler – before he and wife Carrie jetted off to Marbella with their son Wilfred.
However, Mr Johnson has still not registered the holiday at the Torre Tramores estate, which had a rental value of £25,000 per night, that he enjoyed with wife Carrie ands son Wilfred (right, today)
The Prime Minister quietly revealed in the latest list of ministerial interests that Lord Goldsmith allowed him, Carrie and Wilfred to stay at his £25,000-per-night estate near Marbella without payment.
According to its website, the Windsor Suite, which is close to Terminal 5 at the west of London airport, guests can await their flight in one of eight private lounges, adding: ‘Meeting you at our private suite will be one of our doormen who will escort you inside where your personal butler is waiting.’
It also boasts a food menu from Michelin-starred chef Jason Atherton and offers the use of a personal shopper in the main terminal building.
He was given hospitality for three people in the lounge on October 7, the register shows.
Downing Street has previously claimed that because the Johnsons’ holiday in Spain last month was provided by a minister it falls outside the remit of the House of Commons financial probity watchdog.
The holiday was revealed on the ministerial register of interests as having provided free of charge by Goldsmith, a former MP and friend of Carrie Johnson who was handed a peerage by Mr Johnson after losing his Commons seat in 2019.
But an entry on the separate MPs register would require revealing how much the benefit in kind was worth.
The Torre Tramores estate, where Mr Johnson, Carrie and their son Wilfred stayed, is available for private rent at a cost of £25,000 per night for a secluded retreat with its own private helipad.
The facility has previously been used by VIPs including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the singer Adele (pictured)
In the latest ministerial register, released earlier this month, a simple paragraph reads: ‘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.’
A No 10 spokesman said the holiday provided by ‘a longstanding friend’ had been registered correctly.
However, the ministerial code entry says the property was provided by ‘the Goldsmiths’, not just the minister.
Labour has demanded a probe into the holiday by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner.
Goldsmith is the former MP for Richmond Park who was elevated to the peerage by Mr Johnson after losing his seat to the Liberal Democrats.
The move allowed the 46-year-old to remain in Government as an environment minister. He is currently Minister for the Pacific and the Environment having been given an additional role in a 2020 reshuffle.
The stay at the Torre Tramores in early October sparked fury as Mr Johnson left the UK amid a gas price crisis that struck businesses.
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