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A wealthy tycoon has denied he paid for Boris Johnson's £15,000 New Year jaunt to the Caribbean - raising urgent questions about where the money came from.

Labour called for a standards probe into the Prime Minister after he claimed Tory donor David Ross, co-founder of Carphone Warehouse, funded the Mustique villa where he stayed with girlfriend Carrie Symonds.

Millionaire Mr Johnson declared the freebie trip yesterday in the latest Commons register of interests.

But Mr Ross made a bombshell intervention last night - insisting he did not actually pay for the villa, he just helped arrange it with a phone call.

That could suggest the Prime Minister's declaration was inaccurate, which could earn him a serious reprimand from Parliament, and raise questions over "dark money" behind his holiday.

Shadow cabinet office minister Jon Trickett said: " Boris Johnson must come clean about who has paid for his luxury trip.

"If he fails to do so, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards should step in and make him fess up.

He added: "The public deserves to know who is paying for their Prime Minister’s jaunts."

Boris Johnson had already faced a backlash for not returning to the UK from his holiday promptly after the assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani on January 3 by the US.

The private holiday lasted from Boxing Day to January 5, according to the register entry with the villa reportedly including three staff members.

The Prime Minister listed the excursion as a 'benefit in kind' from 'Mr David Ross', with the entry also saying: "Accommodation for a private holiday for my partner and me, value £15,000."

But Mr Ross claims the Prime Minister had come to him for help in finding accommodation for the holiday, but that the villa where he stayed is not his and he didn't fork out for the trip either.

A spokesman for the businessman, 54, said: "Boris Johnson did not stay in David Ross’s house."

(Image: MustiqueIsland.com) (Image: MustiqueIsland.com)

Asked about Mr Johnson’s declaration, the spokesman said: "I believe it is a mistake."

The spokesman went on to say that Mr Ross had "not put his hand in his pocket whatsoever and can obviously prove that – [he] most definitely did not pay anything and it was not his house.

"Boris wanted some help to find somewhere in Mustique, David called the company who run all the villas and somebody had dropped out."

MPs must declare gifts and hospitality they get within 28 days on the Register of Members' Financial Interests, with any serious breaches can result in suspension.

But Mr Johnson has got away with at least three breaches with only a slap on the wrist.

He breached the Ministerial Code in August 2018 by starting a £275,000-a-year newspaper column just three days after quitting as Foreign Secretary.

(Image: PA)

In December 2018 he was ordered to apologise for failing to declare £52,723 of income on time.

And in April 2019 he was 11 months late registering his 20% share in a property in Somerset.

At the time Parliament’s Standards Commissioner accused him of a “lack of respect” for the system adding: "I do not accept that this was an inadvertent breach of the rules."

It is understood that Mr Ross had other guests staying at his own house on the island during Mr Johnson’s stay.

The Daily Mail reports Downing Street sources insisted Mr Johnson’s holiday had been declared in the right way, and that Mr Ross was responsible as he arranged it.

(Image: Peter Summers)

The Moroccan-style stone villa had six double bedrooms, three private swimming pools, two bars, a library and four dedicated staff - a butler, chef, gardener and housekeeper.

Millionaire Tory leader Mr Johnson also enjoyed three ornamental ponds, a gazebo and three 4x4s to explore the 1,400-acre private island - a haunt of celebs and the royal family.

Pictures of the villa include four-poster beds, open-air terraces overlooking stunning views, and a swimming pool - while Ms Symonds posted a snap of her driving a boat during the trip.

Created by Swedish architect Arne Hasselqvist in the 1970s, the sumptous Oceanus villa is described as "perfect for large families and house parties" by its owner.

A brochure obtained by the newspaper says: "The open air plan provides the perfect balance of indoor and outdoor living spaces.

"Multiple sunset decks and lounge areas with seven lighted water features make the property well suited for entertaining.

“This tranquil villa rests harmoniously on a hilltop overlooking Britannia Bay, which offers perfect trade wind breezes and panoramic views of the surrounding Caribbean and lush landscape of the island.”

It is understood the Prime Minister and his girlfriend Ms Symonds paid for their own British Airways flights.

In 2018, DUP MP Ian Paisley Jr was barred from the Commons for 30 sitting days for not declaring a pair of family breaks paid for by the Sri Lankan government.

Long-term Tory donor Mr Ross gave £250,000 to the Conservatives in the final push of December's general election campaign in which the party won by a landslide.

Mr Johnson, meanwhile, was the highest earning MP in the last parliament, making nearly £800,000 - largely by way of making speeches and writing articles.

According to the Mail, No 10 said: "All transparency requirements have been followed, as set out in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests."

Former Prime Minister Theresa May scooped £96,000 for a single speech at the accountancy firm PwC, the newspaper claims.