Boris Johnson agreed to consider proposals for a new festival in private messages with a Tory donor who helped fund the redecoration of his Downing Street flat, it has emerged.
Lord Brownlow of Shurlock Row, who originally provided funds as part of the £112,000 makeover of the flat, discussed with the Prime Minister his plans to hold a new Great Exhibition festival.
Mr Johnson agreed to look at the proposal, telling the Tory peer “[I] am on the great exhibition plan…will revert”, newly released messages revealed on Thursday night.
Three months later, Lord Brownlow met Oliver Dowden, the then Culture Secretary, and representatives from the Royal Albert Hall to discuss the plan.
The peer is a trustee of the Royal Albert Hall, which was built in the wake of the first Great Exhibition in 1851, during the reign of Queen Victoria.
While the plan for a new Great Exhibition failed to materialise, an event called “Unboxed” is due to take place later this year.
On Thursday night, Labour accused the Prime Minister of sleaze and branded the exchange “wallpaper for access”.
The discussion about the festival emerged in WhatsApp messages released on Thursday by Lord Geidt, the Prime Minister’s ethics adviser, who revisited his initial probe into the flat refurbishment after learning the key exchange had not been disclosed to him last year.
They show that Mr Johnson sent a message to Lord Brownlow on 29 November 2020 describing his Number 11 flat as a “tip” and asking for the peer to sanction funds so the fashion designer Lulu Lytle could “get on with it.”
It has previously been reported that Ms Lytle was asked to furnish the flat with expensive gold wallpaper.
He ended the text by referring to the proposed festival, stating: “Ps am on the great exhibition plan. Will revert.”
Lord Brownlow replied: “Of course, get Lulu to call me and we’ll get it sorted ASAP! Thanks for thinking about GE2. Best wishes David.”
Lord Brownlow was then referred by Number 10 to the Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport, and met Mr Dowden on January 18 last year to discuss the proposals.
Seizing on the exchange, Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said: “It appears that Lord Brownlow had access to the Prime Minister and Culture Secretary because he was paying for his luxury flat renovations.
“It is pretty unbelievable that Boris Johnson didn’t know who was paying for his luxury flat renovations.
“If what we’ve got is wallpaper for access that is corruption plain and simple. Boris Johnson has serious questions to answer.”
However, Number 10 sources insisted on Thursday night that Lord Brownlow had acted in line with the standards expected of him and that the proposal had been made jointly with the Royal Albert Hall. They also confirmed the peer was not involved in Unboxed.
