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Politics

A £7,000 rug and a £500 table cloth: Boris Johnson's £200,000 Number 11 makeover bill revealed

That's some serious renovating.

Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson is comforted by his wife Carrie as he arrives back into No.10 after delivering his resignation speech. Image: Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street

Remember Wallpapergate? One of the early scandals Boris Johnson faced as prime minister, involving the lavish makeover of his Number 11 Downing Street flat? Well now someone has leaked the bill, which shows it cost a whopping £200,000.

How is that possible, you ask? Let’s just say the cheapest thing he and wife Carrie bought for their new pad was a £500 table cloth.

The full invoice, which includes the infamous gold wallpaper, was obtained by The Independent on Friday.

The scandal in April 2021 saw Johnson accused of illegally financing the renovation. He said he had assumed a charitable trust would pay for the work but when that didn’t happen Lord David Brownlow – a Tory donor – paid instead.

The PM claimed he had no knowledge of the arrangement but messages surfaced revealing he had asked him, and also promised to look at Brownlow’s idea of a second Great Exhibition.

Johnson apologised in January and is said to have eventually settled the bill himself – but the Tories were fined £18,000 by the Electoral Commission for not following the rules.

Advertising helps fund Big Issue’s mission to end poverty
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Anyway, here are 10 highlights from the invoice, which totalled £208,104:

  • 1 rug = £7,000
  • 2 sofas = £15,120 (£7,560 each)
  • 1 card table = £1,000
  • 2 hurricane wall lights with candles = £3,550 (£1,775 each)
  • 1 antiqued, bevelled mirror all over the wall = £3,000
  • 1 shades = £2,500
  • 1 Nureyev trolley = £3,675
  • 1 long book table/low bookcase = £3,800
  • 1 paint effect = £3,100
  • 1 large mirror = £3,000

Wallpapergate was just one of the many scandals Johnson has faced during his time as PM, ultimately leading to his resignation on Thursday.

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