Boris Johnson says he has 'no memory' of lunch where he is accused of groping women

Boris Johnson has admitted he was "no memory" of a lunch at which he is alleged to have groped two women.



The Prime Minister had previously insisted the claim, made by journalist Charlotte Edwardes, was "not true".

Ms Edwardes wrote in the Sunday Times that when she and Mr Johnson worked at the Spectator magazine he squeezed her thigh, and that of another woman, at a work lunch.

She said: “More wine is poured; more wine is drunk. Under the table I feel Johnson’s hand on my thigh. He gives it a squeeze. His hand is high up my leg and he has enough inner flesh beneath his fingers to make me sit suddenly upright."

She added: "Afterwards, I confide in the young woman on his other side. She replies: 'Oh God, he did exactly the same to me.' We speculate: were the squeezes simultaneous? For balance? Was he hedging?"

Asked in an ITV interview whether he could remember the lunch, Mr Johnson said: "I don’t to be honest, I have no memory whatever."

Pressed on how he could be sure it did not happen if he cannot remember it, the PM replied: "Well I can tell you it is absolutely not true."

He added: "It is not true, for all sorts of reasons, and I don’t wish, as I say, to minimise importance of subject.

"I don’t wish to you know cast aspersions on the motives of anybody who makes this type of allegation but it is not true and what I want to do is focus on our domestic agenda.

"And if I may so there are more announcements at this conference than I have seen anywhere."

JENNIFER ARCURI

In a separate interview with Sky News, the Prime Minister passed up three opportunities to deny he had an affair with American businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri when he was mayor of London.

The Sunday Times reported that technology entrepreneur Ms Arcuri was given £126,000 in public money as well as privileged access to three foreign trade missions led by Mr Johnson when he was at City Hall.

A police watchdog has launched a probe into the claims, but the PM has insisted "there was absolutely no question" of him having behaved improperly.

Asked whether he and Ms Arcuri had had a sexual relationship, he said: "I’ve said what I have to say about that matter. And I think perhaps the most important point is that I'm very, very proud of everything we did in in London."

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson told the BBC that he remained confident that the EU will accept the UK's ideas for replacing the Irish backstop in time for a deal to be struck in time for the EU summit on 17 and 18 October.

He denied reports that the Government wanted customs checks set up away from the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

But he insisted a compromise arrangement can be found which avoids the need for a border down the Irish Sea.

He said: "I think that the UK has really moved a long, long way. And what I think we can do, is we can sort out the issue of the UK leaving the EU as a whole, we can protect the Good Friday process, we can protect the peace process in Northern Ireland, we can ensure that there aren't checks at the border, no physical, no interruption of trade or movement of people. Absolutely not.

"And we can also protect the benefits that Ireland has got over the years from the EU single market."