About

Wallpapergate (also known as Flatgate or Cash for Curtains by some media outlets) refers to a controversy surrounding Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson who was accused of privately paying for a renovation of a flat located at 11 Downing Street in London.^[1]

History

On April 26th, 2021, Dominic Cummings, the Prime Minister's former advisor, claimed in a blog post that Boris Johnson asked donors from the Conservative Party to pay for a refurbishment at 11 Downing Street, the flat next to the Prime Minister's office at Number 10.

It was claimed that the refurbishment costed £58,000 but other sources claimed that it could be as much as £200,000.

On April 28th, 2021, the term "Wallpapergate" started to circle around social media in response to claims that £800 was spent on each roll of wallpaper in the flat renovation.

On the same day, the Electoral Commission announced that they would conduct an investigation the costings of the renovations.^[2]

Reaction

The Prime Minister's Office at Number 10 denied the claims that Boris Johnson asked private donors to fund the refurbishment.

Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, stated that if the Prime Minister misled parliament over the claims in response to the controversy, then he should resign as per the ministerial code.

On social media, #Wallpapergate and #Flatgate began trending in response to the controversy gaining more awareness at Prime Ministers' Questions held on April 28th, 2021.

Search Interest

External References