Boris Johnson campaigned for 2 Conservative candidates with taxpayer-funded jet to Hartlepool, new spending return suggests

• Boris Johnson used a taxpayer-funded jet to support a second candidate, Ben Houchen, in Hartlepool.
• Houchen's spending return, obtained by Insider, says the Conservatives spent "nil" on transport.
• Labour say it's "taxpayers who pick up the bill" for Johnson's use of "his SleazyJet private plane."
• See more stories on Insider's business page.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson used taxpayer funds to campaign for two different Conservative candidates in the northeast of England earlier this year, a new Conservative Party spending return suggests.

Insider obtained the spending return for Ben Houchen, Conservative mayor of the Tees Valley Combined Authority, which held its election at the same time as the parliamentary by-election in Hartlepool. Houchen was reelected in that mayoral election.

The new spending return, signed by Houchen and his agent, Diane Clarke OBE, shows "nil" spending on transport declared by the Conservative Party. Readers can click on the image below to enlarge it.

As Insider reported on Monday, the spending return for the Hartlepool by-election candidate Jill Mortimer also showed "nil" spending on transport.

On April 1, while both the mayoral and by-election campaigns were underway, Johnson flew from London Stansted Airport to Teesside International Airport in a taxpayer-funded government jet.

He then conducted an official visit at a DIY store in Middlesbrough to promote the rise in the national minimum wage, before visiting Hartlepool to campaign with and for Mortimer and Houchen.

Hartlepool is located in the Tees Valley Combined Authority.

A video tweeted by Houchen on April 1 features Johnson on the campaign trail with Mortimer and Houchen.

-Ben Houchen (@BenHouchen) April 1, 2021

The clip shows Johnson speaking about the "fantastic candidate in Jill Mortimer" and the "huge part" Houchen has played in the Teesside freeport.

The Conservative Party had previously told Insider, regarding Mortimer's spending return, that "tours and associated costs ... were all declared in accordance with the rules and feature on the return under 'Staff Costs.'" The party did not respond to Insider's requests for evidence that the £24,154.02 staff costs for Mortimer's campaign included transportation.

Houchen's spending return shows a total of £4,464.74 on staff costs, described as "staff." His campaign declared a total spending of £31,677.51 with a spending limit of £41,106.69.

Electoral Commission guidance says transport costs should include the cost of transporting "party members, including staff members ... around the electoral area, or to and from the electoral area ... where they are undertaking campaigning on behalf of the candidate."

Labour demands 'SleazyJet' investigation as Downing Street insists no breach

Angela Rayner MP, deputy leader of the Labour Party, told Insider: "The Prime Minister behaves like the rules don't apply to him. He must be held to account for any breach of the rules, as anyone else would rightly expect to be.

"It appears that the Prime Minister and Conservative Party have consistently and repeatedly broken the rules and in doing so may have broken the law.

"We need a full investigation to get to the bottom of this matter urgently.

"Breaking the rules flying to campaign visits on his SleazyJet private plane proves once again that the Prime Minister is only ever interested in helping himself - and it is British taxpayers who pick up the bill."

When asked about Houchen's spending return, Downing Street reiterated its defence of Johnson and insisted there was no breach of the Ministerial Code.

"The Prime Minister visited Teesside on official Government business, meeting workers to coincide with an increase in the national living wage. This was followed by a short political visit, as permitted by the Ministerial Code," a Number 10 spokesperson said.

"All relevant costs have been correctly accounted for and appropriately proportioned. At all times Government rules and electoral requirements have been followed in relation to Ministerial visits."

Downing Street has consistently cited a section of the Ministerial Code that says "the Prime Minister, and any other Minister for whom the security authorities exceptionally consider it essential, may use their official cars for all journeys by road, including those for private or Party purposes."

This defence does not address the 624 km round trip journey by plane.

A previous section of the Ministerial Code also reads: "Where a visit is a mix of political and official engagements, it is important that the department and the Party each meet a proper proportion of the actual cost."

A Conservative Party spokesperson told Insider: "CCHQ [Conservative Campaign Headquarters] covered all relevant costs associated with the political visit on 1st April in accordance with the Ministerial Code, and reported relevant candidate spending in accordance with the Representation of the People's Act 1983."

See Ben Houchen's spending return in full here:

Some personal information has been redacted.