Sarah Vine says the prime minister “can’t be expected to live in a skip” as the debate over his flat refurbishment intensifies.
Boris Johnson will face MPs in the Commons as he battles accusations from Labour that he lied over who paid for renovations to his Downing Street flat.
He will appear at Prime Minister’s Questions for the first time since his ex-adviser accused him of planning for donors to “secretly pay” for the work.
According to reports the refurb is thought to have cost as much as £200,000 thanks to Carrie Symond’s hiring of eco designer Lulu Lytle.
It includes wallpaper that cost £840 a roll, a Baby Bear sofa that cost £9,800, a Lilly Drum table at £3,000 and an armchair at £5,900.
Prime ministers are given an annual public grant of £30,000 to spend on the Grade I-listed property.
But according to Michael Gove’s wife, Sarah Vine, the costs are entirely justified.
Speaking on Today she said the prime minister “can’t be expected to live in a skip” and if he wants “a pink rather than a green sofa that’s fair enough”.
She also said Johnson needs “decent furnishings”, in comments which have been widely mocked on social media.
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