U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in hot water over his dealings with a House of Lords member who wanted his support for a 21st-century “Great Exhibition” modeled on the historic Crystal Palace expo of 1851.
Damning text messages suggest Johnson agreed to consider funding the event at the behest of David Brownlow, who was then funding refurbishments for the prime minister’s flat at Downing Street. An investigation into the redecoration’s financing turned up a WhatsApp message dated from November 2020, where Johnson asked Brownlow for approval on work with interior designer Lulu Lytle, adding “PS, am on the great exhibition plan, will revert.”
In response, Brownlow agree to finalize arrangements with the Lytle’s firm Soane Britain, and said “thanks for thinking about GE2.”
Word of the exchange has touched off a furor. “No one should be able to buy access or exchange wallpaper for festivals,” Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, told the Guardian, noting that if Brownlow’s funding for the £112,000 ($150,000) home renovation project meant…
