BORIS Johnson “didn’t screw” a friend whose business won thousands in public grants, her family have said.
The Prime Minister is under pressure after it emerged Jennifer Arcuri, who is accused of being his mistress, shared a fourth taxpayer handout when he was London Mayor.
His office has been accused of helping tech the 34-year-old entrepreneur win £126,000 grants and sponsorship for her companies.
The Prime Minister has denied helping to win public money for Ms Arcuri.
But ccording to the DailyMail.com her family told friends: “He sponsored her. He didn’t screw her.”
Mr Johnson formed a close friendship with Ms Arcuri after the pair met in 2012, and took her on three trade trips with him
The pair are said to have been so close that pals called them ‘BoJen’ after Ms Arcuri, who had a pole-dancing pole in her Shoreditch flat, posted so many photos of them on social media.
Her mother Christine, 61 and stepfather John Jendrezejewski, 71 say that their daughter has denied claims of impropriety in her friendship with Mr Johnson.
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“She is doing okay. She was upset and stressed and texted us to let us know it’s just not true,” they told the DailyMail.com
“But we knew that already. She’s smart and she’s strong and she’s a businesswoman.
Ms Arcuri’s company, Innotech, also shared a £12,447 City Hall payout to companies for a trade mission to South Africa in 2013, according to the Mailonline.
City Hall records show that the November 2013 trade mission to South Africa was supported with a grant of £12,447.
Breaking a 48 hour silence on the bombshell allegations, the PM insisted “everything was done entirely in the proper way” over his professional dealings with Ms Arcuri.]
But he would not deny having an extramarital affair with her while he was London Mayor.
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In an interview with the BBC in New York, he said: “All I can say is I’m very proud of what we did when I was mayor of London, very proud of everything that we did, particularly banging the drum for our city and country around the world.
“And I can tell you absolutely that everything was done entirely in the proper way.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched a probe into the allegations, and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are also investigating grants to Ms Arcuri.
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