DISGRACED former prime minister Boris Johnson is attempting to build an outdoor swimming pool at his plush new mansion after quitting as a Tory MP.
Johnson stepped down as an MP on June 9 after a Privileges Committee report found that he deliberately misled parliament over parties in Downing Street during the pandemic.
Now the former Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP has applied for planning permission for an outdoor swimming pool in the grounds of his Cotswolds manor house - while theUK faces a serious cost of living crisis, with inflation and soaring food prices.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak shrugged off criticism of his new heated private swimming pool in the grounds of his North Yorkshire home, after it emerged that it used so much energy the local electricity network had to be upgraded.
Johnson bought the £3.8m property in cash with his wife Carrie in May this year, with the almost five acres of grounds including its own walled garden, moat and tennis court.
Last month, an application was made to the local council for the development of an 11m x 4m swimming pool on the grounds of the 400-year-old property, with a tile area surrounding the pool.
A target decision date is set for next month, as the application is currently at the consultation stage.
According to The Mirror, Johnson could face opposition from the local County Archaeological Services in getting permission for the plush pool.
As the property’s location is in a site of “considerable archaeological interest”, the Johnsons may be required to monitor for important archaeological finds if the planning permission is granted.
A number of responses to the planning application appear to have been made by Johnson’s neighbours, the newspaper adds.
The grounds of the disgraced former MP's manor are believed to have been the location of a siege castle in the 12th century.
The former PM has made millions since he left Downing Street in July last year, including a £2.5m advance from the Harry Walker speaking agency.
It comes after MPs voted overwhelmingly to back the damning report that found Johnson had lied to MPs over the partygate scandal. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak did not attend the vote in the House of Commons in June.
Just seven MPs voted against the Privileges Committee’s findings, in a humiliating defeat for the former prime minister less than a year after he left No 10.
And, this week it was revealed that Johnson loyalist Nadine Dorries, who is one of over 70 MPs who have announced they won’t stand at the next election, is set to publish a book titled The Plot: The Political Assassination of Boris Johnson.
The book is to be published by HarperCollins, who gave Dorries over £20,000 as an advance on the publication. It is set to be published in September, just days before the Tory party conference.
