The London & Partners affair

In September 2019, The Sunday Times published an article referring to an investigation it had undertaken, which it said revealed that The Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP failed to declare a series of potential conflicts of interest over a friendship with Jennifer Arcuri during the time he held the office of Mayor of London.

As a result, the GLA Oversight Committee decided there was due cause to investigate the suitability of the GLA's Code of Conduct and the governance processes of L&P. 

Today the Committee has published a report which assesses the evidence the Committee received across sessions with experts on local authority codes of conduct; representatives from L&P; and beneficiaries of L&P's sponsorship and trade missions.  

Whilst the Committee was not legally permitted to investigate whether the Code of Conduct was broken, it did feel that the GLA Code needed strengthening to ensure that any Mayor or Assembly Member should be in no doubt that they should declare non-pecuniary interests such as personal relationships with individuals.

The recommendations include:

• L&P should address the risk that undue pressure from senior GLA officials, and the Mayor undermines its processes and controls.
• L&P should promote its services more widely to ensure potential beneficiaries have equal access and that participation is not limited to those with connections to L&P. As part of this L&P should look to expand into other industry sectors.
• More should be done by L&P to publicise the opportunities for sponsorship monies, including to those involved in trade missions.
• The review of the Code of Conduct must address non-pecuniary interests as part of the rules and guidance, with a particular focus on ensuring the guidance reduces the risk of misinterpretation of the rules. 

Former Chair of the GLA Oversight Committee, Caroline Pidgeon AM, said:

"The circumstances surrounding this investigation were uncomfortable for many Members of the Committee and we remain concerned about the challenge we faced in accessing relevant information.

"L&P promotes London across the world. It receives significant public money, and the public expects accountability around how its money is spent.

"While the IOPC investigation into the allegations against Boris Johnson found no evidence of a criminal offence, it did conclude that there was some evidence that Boris Johnson was in an intimate relationship with Jennifer Arcuri during some of the relevant period.  If he was in such a relationship, failing to declare this as a conflict of interest could have constituted a breach of the broader Nolan Principles, the ethical standards those working in the public sector are expected to adhere to.  We found the evidence we heard from Jennifer Arcuri both frank and honest.

"It is this that prompted our desire to ensure the GLA's Code of Conduct is fit for purpose -- it is clear the Code has potential gaps and areas where strengthening is needed, including the rules and guidance around non-pecuniary interests for the Mayor and Assembly Members.  We welcome the work underway in this area -- but there is a case for a yearly review of the Code of Conduct.

"We are satisfied that since 2015, significant changes have been made in the process for deciding who goes on trade missions, with this now organised through the Mayor's International Business Programme (MIBP). 

"The Committee does, however, consider that there is a case for regular reviews of process and adherence to the recommendations."