Boris Johnson's standards advisor refuses to investigate Hartlepool jet scandal, drawing criticism from Labour
- EXCLUSIVE: Boris Johnson's standards advisor refused to investigate the PM's alleged wrongdoing.
- Public cash paid for a jet to campaign in the Hartlepool by-election, a potential rules breach.
- Lord Geidt, the advisor, declined to say if he spoke to Johnson about opening an investigation.
Boris Johnson's standards advisor refused to investigate Johnson's use of a taxpayer-funded government jet to campaign in the Hartlepool by-election, Insider can disclose.
Lord Christopher Geidt, the Prime Minister's Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests, denied a request to investigate whether Johnson breached the Ministerial Code by using the jet.
It came in a letter to Angela Rayner, the deputy leader of the Labour Party, who asked him to rule on whether Johnson's use of the plane breached the code. The letter, sent on Monday, can be found in full below.
Geidt in the letter refused to say whether he spoke with Johnson about the matter.
He was appointed by Johnson in April 2021, following the resignation of his predecessor, Sir Alex Allan, in November 2020.
Geidt says the government "set out an explanation of the circumstances" in which the jet was used.
He cited section 10.16 of the Ministerial Code, the same section referred to by Downing Street in its defence of Johnson. It says the Prime Minister "may use their official cars for all journeys by road, including those for private or Party purposes".
It is unclear how this section relates to the use of a plane.
Geidt said that he does "not consider this to be a matter requiring my advice".
Geidt also said that "the application of election spending law is a matter for the political parties concerned and the Electoral Commission."
His response ignores that potential breaches of laws covering candidate spending are matters for the police, not the Electoral Commission. Cleveland Police said it was "reviewing correspondence" on the matter.
Rayner responded to Geidt's letter on Wednesday. She asked Geidt to explain how he reached his conclusion.
She said: "You quote word for word the government's statement on this issue and conclude that you therefore 'do not consider this to be a matter requiring my advice'. As the Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests, is it within your power and remit to investigate any wrongdoing or simply seek an official response from ministers subject to complaints?"
Rayner urged Geidt to reconsider.
"The role of the Independent Adviser is surely to investigate the matter, including any evidence or lack thereof relating to the claims made, in order to get to the truth," she wrote.
Insider revealed that the Conservative Party spending return for the Hartlepool by-election said the party spent "nil" on transport, suggesting the party did not pay anything towards the cost of Johnson's trip.
Johnson flew in a government jet from London Stansted to Teesside International Airport on April 1. While there he went on an official visit at a B&Q store to note an increase in the National Minimum Wage.
He then went to Hartlepool to campaign in both the Parliamentary by-election and the Tees Valley mayoral election, appearing with the candidates and knocking on doors with them.
The third picture uploaded by Mortimer was later used in Conservative by-election leaflets, as seen in a tweet by Tory MP Chris Pincher.
Per the Ministerial Code, if a visit is a mixture of official and political business, "the department and the party each meet a proper proportion of the actual cost".
Critics of the ministerial standards system said that Geidt's response showed the weakness of the role.
Tim Durrant, Associate Director at the Institute of Government, told Insider: "Lord Geidt's response shows that his role does not have enough power. While he should not have to investigate every time someone complains about a minister, he should be able to start investigations himself, without having to ask permission from the prime minister.
"When the complaint is about the prime minister, Geidt's role is made even more difficult. A fully independent adviser would be able to investigate on his own."
The Cabinet Office's minister of state for the constitution and devolution denied any wrongdoing.
"All travel by the Prime Minister was in line with the provisions of the Ministerial Code, and all the appropriate rules were correctly followed in relation to the costs of the subsequent political visit. As part of the Government's levelling up agenda, it's entirely right that Ministers meet and listen to people in every part of the United Kingdom," Chloe Smith MP told Insider.