UK’s Johnson faces probe over funding of flat renovation

Political finance watchdog says ‘reasonable grounds’ to suspect an offence was committed, but PM denies any wrongdoing.

The United Kingdom’s Electoral Commission opened an investigation on Wednesday into the financing of the refurbishment of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s flat, saying there were grounds to suspect an offence may have been committed. Eight days before local elections across England and for the election of the Welsh and Scottish regional assemblies, Johnson is facing a stream of allegations ranging from his muddled initial handling of the COVID-19 crisis to questions about who leaked what from his office. “We are now satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to suspect that an offence or offences may have occurred,” the Electoral Commission said of the financing of the flat above Number 11 Downing Street where Johnson resides.