Boris Johnson’s refurbishment of the flat above 11 Downing Street cost more than £200,000, a leaked copy of the invoice reveals.
Among the items Johnson and his wife Carrie ordered from Soane, the company led by interior designer Lulu Lytle, was a £3,675 drinks trolley based on one owned by the late ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev.
The couple bought £2,260 worth of the “gold” wallpaper that has become a symbol of the refurbishment. A pair of sofas cost more than £15,000 combined and £3,000 was spent on a paint effect for the hall. They spent £4,200 on an antique chair, £7,000 on a rug, £6,000 on a lamp and another £2,500 for the shade. The bill for upholstery and curtains was £21,280, including £3,200 for “32 metres of sorolla red scrolling fern” for dining room curtains. The cheapest item was a £500 table cloth.
The cost of paintwork and installation alone was £30,000, bringing the total far above the £30,000 annual budget given to prime ministers from the Exchequer for their flat.
Lord Brownlow of Shurlock Row, a Conservative peer, was to fund the excess but after public criticism Johnson agreed to pay for the new furniture himself.
Given the Cabinet Office has funded a share of the refurbishment, it is unclear which items if any the Johnsons will be allowed to take with them.
