BORIS Johnson has been urged to submit to a parliamentary committee for questioning over concerns about cronyism and coronavirus contracts.
The Labour party has called on the Liaison committee, one of the most powerful in the House of Commons, to launch an urgent inquiry after details of text messages between the Prime Minister and billionaire entrepreneur Sir James Dyson were released yesterday.
Mr Johnson promised the entrepreneur he would “fix” a tax issue after lobbying from Sir James, when he was developing a £20m ventilator programme to help during the beginning of the coronavirus crisis.
Sir James had wanted assurances that employees from his Singapore-based company would not have to pay additional tax if they came to the UK to work on the project.
READ MORE: Johnson offers "no apology"over Dyson texts as officials insist he followed rules
This came to light following weeks of criticism about lobbying and cronyism, after it emerged David Cameron had lobbied the Chancellor on behalf of finance firm Greensill Capital, and arranged a private drink with health secretary Matt Hancock and the firm’s owner Lex Greensill. The firm has subsequently collapsed.
Sir James said it was "absurd to suggest that the urgent correspondence was anything other than seeking compliance with rules" and that his company did not receive "any benefit from the project".
Labour's shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Rachel Reeves has now demanded that the Liaison Committee of MPs hold an urgent probe into the PM's conduct.
The Committee is chaired by Conservative MP Sir Bernard Jenkin, with other MPs who are chairs of select committees making up the membership.
She said the Prime Minister must give evidence before the cross-party group of MPs, and called for all correspondence from Mr Johnson’s phone about Government business to be released.
She has also called for Downing Street to release details of communications between ministers, officials and lobbyists.
Ms Reeves said: "NHS nurses worked on our frontlines to protect us – but it’s a chum of the Prime Minister who has his phone number that gets offered a tax break, while they got a pay cut.
“Revelations seem to confirm a growing feeling that if one has access to a telephone number of someone like the Prime Minister or the Chancellor of the Exchequer, then they are able to gain special treatment, potentially even significant financial ones.
“We need the Prime Minister to appear before the Liaison Committee immediately, and for a thorough investigation into his conduct on this matter.
“Boris Johnson should also stick to the commitment he made in Prime Minister's Questions and publish his text messages with other business leaders immediately."
It comes after the SNP's Ian Blackford called on Mr Johnson to publish all personal contact he has had about coronavirus contracts from external firms during Prime Minister's Questions.
READ MORE: Ian Blackford tells PM to publish all personal Covid contract messages today
Mr Blackford said there needed to be a “comprehensive, independent public inquiry” into the issues, and added: “The public also deserve answers and transparency right now."
Downing Street said the Prime Minister had done nothing wrong and has followed the ministerial code by declaring the messages to civil servants.
Mr Johnson said: "I make absolutely no apology at all for shifting heaven and earth and doing everything I possibly could to secure ventilators for the people of this country.”
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