MPs and LA members will assess the public monies disbursed to Jennifer Arcuri, pictured A planned investigation by London politicians into the ties between Boris Johnson and Jennifer Arcuri has been paused while a probe by the police watchdog takes precedence.In a surprise move which will increase the pressure on Mr Johnson, the London Assembly said today it has been asked by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to pause its investigation into the Prime Minister’s relationship with Jennifer Arcuri during his time as Mayor of London.After allegations of impropriety surfaced last month it was announced the IOPC would be investigating any possible misconduct in a public office – but the referal to the watchdog was cast aside by Mr Johnson’s camp as politically motivated.However in a statement, London Assembly Oversight Committee chairman Len Duvall AM said this afternoon: ‘The London Assembly respects the IOPC’s remit and will not in any way interfere with its important work.’However, the Assembly also has an important role and special powers.’We will consider using those powers immediately following the conclusion of the IOPC’s work.’Subject to that important review by the IOPC, certain people should be on notice that the Assembly may well be knocking on their door sometime soon.’Ms Arcuri accompanied Mr Johnson on trade missions and received £126,000 in public funding. Both Mr Johnson and Ms Arcuri have repeatedly failed to deny rumours of an affair. Johnson and Arcuri pictured together on a bus in 2015 when he was Mayor of London The London Assembly has scheduled a discussion of its investigation for 2pm today, after Mr Johnson complied with a request for evidence from the oversight committee.Members of the committee have so far agreed with a request from the Conservative Party leader’s solicitors for the submitted papers to be kept confidential.Mr Duvall continued: ‘We respect the right of the IOPC…, in their jurisdiction which is very narrow in its definition, of looking at the actions of Boris Johnson in his time as police and crime commissioner during the time of some of the potential allegations.’He said the committee had ‘rights and responsibilities and powers to investigate in a much wider role about the actions of, or the potential actions, or any allegations against any… previous mayor’.Mr Duvall said its investigatory powers were limited to a period of up to eight years.He said the committee did not wish to ‘jeopardise’ any other investigation taking place, adding: ‘That is why we will pause our activities now and they will resume at the appropriate time.’A few miles down river, MPs were at the same time set to quiz Culture Secretary Nicky Morgan about a £100,000 grant that the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport gave Ms Arcuri’s business.One of Arcuri’s businesses allegedly received £11,500 in sponsorship money from a mayoral organisation when Mr Johnson was mayor and a £15,000 government grant for foreign entrepreneurs in Britain.Arcuri insisted the pair never discussed sponsorship or grants and Mr Johnson had had nothing to do with an additional £100,000 grant awarded to her company by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in January.There were questions raised in the Commons about the due diligence made on the grant approval after ministers justified awarding the money – meant to be spent on improving IT skills in the UK – because the company had a British phone number.Calls to the number were answered by workers based in California, where Ms Arcuri, 34, is said to be based.The culture committee will question the Secretary of State in the House of Commons at the same time as City Hall proceedings are getting under way.Mrs Morgan said it would be a ‘serious matter’ if Ms Arcuri was found to have lied about her company’s address when applying for funding. ‘The overarching message will be that it is a serious matter for anybody to apply for a Government fund and use false information as a means of trying to get money out of a Government department,’ she told committee members.Asked whether she would pass the case onto the police if Ms Arcuri was found to have been untruthful about her company’s address, Mrs Morgan said: ‘I’m not going to pre-judge the review.’She added: ‘As a former company lawyer I know the Companies Act fairly well. Jennifer Arcuri has insisted the pair’s private life is private and said she never asked for, nor received, any favours ‘It is not unreasonable to have directors with overseas addresses but a UK company address, nor is it unreasonable for a company to have serviced offices. I’m not going to pre-judge it.’The whole point of having the internal audit agency doing this is to see where the evidence lies.’On whether Ms Arcuri mentioned the Prime Minister in her application for Government money, Mrs Morgan said, while she had not seen the paperwork, she doubted Mr Johnson was referenced.’I don’t believe that there are any – I doubt very much there is anything referencing (him) but I haven’t seen the form. (but) I doubt very much there is any reference to the Prime Minister,’ she told the committee.She said it ‘wouldn’t surprise’ her if the department approached Ms Arcuri about applying for the £100,000 grant, as the former model has claimed.’It wouldn’t surprise me because we listen to what people are saying in terms of the development of funding for a whole host of different parts of the department,’ added Mrs Morgan.’There is undoubtedly a need for people to be trained in cyber security and particularly in relation to increasing diversity of those engaged in that sector, and then in terms of actually looking for organisations who are doing valuable work in that area who we can support.’Mr Johnson has previously accused his ‘old friends’ in the Assembly of ‘barking up the wrong tree’ with their investigation.Ms Arcuri, a former model, used an interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain to deny reports that she received favouritism during his eight-year stint as mayor.The businesswoman, who said she met Mr Johnson for the first time in October 2011, has refused to comment on whether they had a romantic relationship as well as a professional rapport.She said: ‘I think it’s quite unfortunate that it becomes that a good friend, who has now been, you know, now I’m dragged into the middle of this horrific scandal, you know, and the answer that I’m going to give is now going to be weaponised against this man.’It’s really categorically no-one’s business what private life we had, or didn’t have. But – and categorically more important – Boris never, ever gave me favouritism.’Never once did I ask him for a favour. Never once did he write a letter of recommendation for me. He didn’t know about my asking to go to trips.’ Boris Johnson and the blonde bombshell: Timeline of the rapidly-evolving scandal Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s relationship with US businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri will be discussed by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee and the Greater London Authority on Wednesday.Here is a timeline of events.September 22: The Sunday Times reports that Labour MP Jon Trickett wants Johnson to explain the allegation that he failed to declare potential conflicts of interest while London mayor in relation to the allocation of public money to American businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri.September 23: Mr Johnson initially declines to comment on the allegations and also declines to comment on his relationship with Ms Arcuri. The PM is repeatedly questioned on a flight to New York for the UN General Assembly, but says ‘everything was done with complete propriety’.September 24: Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom tells Radio 4’s Today programme that she is ‘comfortable’ with Mr Johnson’s assurances he had acted properly.Members of the London Assembly give the PM a two-week deadline to provide ‘details and a timeline of all contact with Jennifer Arcuri including social, personal and professional during his period of office as mayor of London’.September 26: Conservative Party chairman James Cleverly hints that Mr Johnson could refuse to appear before the London Assembly to explain links to the American businesswoman.September 27: The Prime Minister says he will comply with a London Assembly order to explain his links to Ms Arcuri.He is referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to assess whether he should be investigated for the criminal offence of misconduct in public office while he was mayor of London.September 28: Mr Johnson arrives at the Tory Party conference in Manchester after being referred to the police watchdog, a move Downing Street calls a ‘nakedly political put-up job’.September 29: The Sunday Times reports that Ms Arcuri had told four friends she had an affair with Mr Johnson while he was London mayor. The Prime Minister tells Andrew Marr he had no interest to declare.September 30: Mr Johnson insists allegations over his private life, including his links to Ms Arcuri and the allegation he squeezed the thigh of a female journalist, will not overshadow the Tory Party conference.October 1: The Prime Minister tells LBC radio that allegations over his personal life had only come out because of some people’s intent to ‘frustrate’ Brexit.October 3: Ms Arcuri tells the Daily Mail she had ‘every right’ to go on trade missions with Mr Johnson. She calls all the allegations false, saying she is a ‘legitimate businesswoman’.October 6: The Sunday Times reports that leaked emails showed that Ms Arcuri had listed Mr Johnson as a reference in her application for a role in Tech City.October 7: Ms Arcuri appears on ITV’s Good Morning Britain and refuses to deny she had an affair with Mr Johnson. She says the politician had visited her Shoreditch flat a ‘handful’ of times and called him ‘a really good friend’ but denied he ever showed her favouritism. Refusing to answer questions about the nature of her relationship with the then mayor of London, she said: ‘It’s really not anyone’s business what private life we had.’October 8: Mr Johnson fails to meet the deadline to respond to questions by the London Assembly over his relationship with Ms Arcuri. The two-week deadline expired at 6pm without a response, the assembly said.October 9: The London Assembly says it has received a response through Mr Johnson’s solicitors that it was asked not to publish. But it says it saw nothing in the submitted papers that ‘reflects the need for confidentiality’.October 10: The London Assembly asks Mr Johnson to explain by October 21 why his response to a probe into his links to Ms Arcuri should be kept confidential.
Police watchdog investigates Boris Johnson’s relationship with tech entrepreneur Jennifer Arcuri
