Downing Street declined to clarify today whether Boris Johnson personally paid for his wife Carrie’s post-wedding’mini-moon’ at an eco-hotel in Slovenia’s remote highlands.
Number 10 will not clarify whether the Prime Minister paid for his and his wife’s almost week-long stay at Vila Planinka themselves.
The resort, located in the Kokra Valley in the town of Jezersko and around 30 minutes from Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana, promises a peaceful ‘balance of energies’ and serves bear prosciutto.
It also provides vegan toiletries and tap water with the “highest magnesium level in Slovenia,” which is supposed to be beneficial to the heart.
The five-star boutique hotel emphasizes its ‘wellness’ offering, claiming that guests will’slow down, harmonising your rhythm with your inner balance’ owing to ‘four energy spots’ found ‘centuries ago’ in its garden.
There is no wiring in any of the 23 rooms, and Wi-Fi is only provided in the lobby and is only put up in the rooms if you request it.
The Prime Minister has already enjoyed complimentary visits to Spain and the Caribbean island of Mustique during his tenure in Downing Street.
When asked whether Mr Johnson had paid for his and Carrie’s recent international vacation in Slovenia, the PM’s official spokesperson responded today, ‘No taxpayers’ money was used for this.’ It was a private vacation.’
When asked if the PM had borne the tab personally, the spokesperson refused to disclose.
‘I’m not aware of the circumstances, but announcements will be made if necessary,’ they said.
Mr Johnson was reported to have had a free vacation in Spain immediately after the Conservative Party convention last year.
The PM stayed at Zac Goldsmith’s family’s vacation house ‘free of charge,’ according to an update to his register of interests.
The Marbella property where the PM was spotted painting at an easel was claimed to rent for up to £25,000 per week.
After losing his Richmond Park seat to the Liberal Democrats in the 2019 general election, Mr Johnson elevated Lord Goldsmith to the peerage.
This permitted Lord Goldsmith to continue serving as a government minister. Mrs Johnson is also a personal acquaintance of Lord Goldsmith, for whom she served in her first political post.
Mr Johnson was earlier cleared by Parliament’s standards watchdog of breaking regulations during his wife Carrie’s December 2019 trip in Mustique, which was paid by Tory contributor David Ross.
However, the Prime Minister was chastised for failing to disclose how the trip was paid for in a timely manner.
Mr Johnson’s financial arrangements during his leadership have not been the main cause of contention.
The Prime Minister was also embroiled in a heated debate about how the restoration of his Downing Street apartment was paid for.
After the Johnsons left for Slovenia on Saturday evening, hotel owner Katja Batagelj and her daughter Lana told the Telegraph, ‘He was one of the most polite guests we have had and asked for nothing.’
‘He was enthralled by the cuisine and wine.’ We’d be incredibly fortunate if all of our visitors were like him.
Ms Batagelj described the pair as’very busy,’ saying they went trekking, bathed in a nearby lake, and visited the Postojna caves, which are a series of gigantic natural caverns with a storybook medieval castle at the entrance.
Their children, Wilf, two, and Romy, seven months, were not with them.
Along with a spa featuring Finnish and infrared saunas inside Vila Planinka, it promises a variety of additional activities in the neighboring mountains, such as bike rides and a ‘romantic nighttime trek.’
The villa’s restaurant sources its ingredients from the local fauna, with ‘bear cheeks’ and ‘bear prosciutto’ on the tasting menu, which includes up to seven dishes for €78 (£66).
Slovenia has the most bears in Europe, and they are regarded a delicacy in the nation.
The Jezersko area, near the Austrian border, is known as “the green gem of Europe” by the local tourism board and is popular with hikers, climbers, and mountain bikers.
Following a delayed wedding ceremony last month, Mr Johnson and Carrie traveled to Slovenia.
Given Britain’s present economic troubles, the discovery that Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi was on vacation at the same time sparked significant criticism.
It occurred as the Bank of England anticipated a five-quarter recession beginning late this year, with inflation reaching 13%, up from an earlier prediction of 11%.
Number 10 has already said that the Prime Minister would keep up with happenings while travelling. Today, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng claimed he is in “frequent” touch with both men, adding, “I’m here, I’m in your studio, I’m in a suit, I’m not on vacation.”
Mr Kwarteng confessed he ‘doesn’t know’ where the Prime Minister is, but when asked where the Chancellor is, he told Sky News: ‘The Chancellor of the Exchequer is always accessible.’
‘I’m in communication with him,’ he continued. I just chatted to him… on WhatsApp this morning, and he’s perfectly up to date.
‘I’m the Business Secretary, I’m in your studio, I’m dressed properly, and I’m not on vacation.’ And we’re completely committed to resolving this issue.’
He said that he is in “frequent touch with the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, and they are totally aware of what is going on.”
‘The Tories have wrecked the economy,’ Labour’s Angela Rayner stated. They’re no longer active.’
Some of Mr Johnson’s past travels have been contentious.
The Prime Minister was said to have started a vacation in Somerset last summer when the Taliban was moving on Afghanistan’s capital, before quickly returning to Westminster.
A few weeks later, he was scrutinized once again when he departed Downing Street for a four-day excursion with his family when Britons and Afghans were still trapped after the withdrawal of soldiers from Kabul.
No. 10 refused to call the trip a vacation and said he was “continue to work.”
Also in 2021, a Spanish vacation at a property owned by the family of minister Lord Goldsmith prompted criticism for lack of openness.
Mr Johnson was chastised by Labour for reporting a free vacation at the villa on the list of ministers’ interests but not on the parliamentary register, which might necessitate the disclosure of further data such as the value of the stay.