LONDON - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson denied wrongdoing Sunday over his links to an American businesswoman who allegedly received money and favourable treatment because of their friendship during his time as mayor of London.
"Everything was done in accordance with the code ... and everything was done with full propriety," Johnson said on Sunday. When pressed again by BBC journalist Andrew Marr, Johnson added:"There was no interest to declare." The scandal worsened Sunday as Johnson's Conservative Party was opening its annual party conference in Manchester following a tumultuous week for a leader who has only been in the job since July.
Yet even as the British leader visited North Manchester General Hospital on Sunday to talk about his government's plans to build 40 hospitals, his efforts to change the subject failed. Johnson took power two months ago with a"do-or-die" promise that Britain will leave the EU on the scheduled date of Oct 31 - even if there's no divorce deal outlining Britain's commercial relations with the other 27 EU nations. His foes in Parliament are determined to avoid a no-deal exit, which economists say would plunge Britain into recession.