BORIS Johnson has refused to deny he had an affair with American businesswoman while he was mayor of London.

Last week the Prime Minister was referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission to assess whether he should face a criminal investigation over his links to Arcuri.

The Greater London Authority (GLA), the city’s devolved government, said its monitoring officer had recorded a “conduct matter” against Johnson over allegations Arcuri received favourable treatment because of her friendship with him while he was mayor.

It has been alleged that during Johnson’s stint as mayor of London, he and his office allowed her to take part in trade missions – against the advice of officials. Businesses owned by Arcuri also received around £125,000 in public funds.

It has also been reported that the entrepreneur confided to four of her friends that they had been engaged in an affair during his time in City Hall. The pair have denied any wrongdoing.

In an interview yesterday with Sky News, Johnson was asked if he’d had an affair with Arcuri. 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 London to promote the city abroad.

“On the question you ask, I never comment on that kind of thing because the crucial thing is that in terms of promoting London everything was done with complete propriety.”

Earlier in the day, it emerged that Arcuri’s laptop had been stolen within the last 10 days.

The 34-year-old former model was said to be “terrified” and “extremely agitated” by the incident, according to a friend. Arcuri is concerned the information – which includes pictures, emails and calendar dates from when she was close to Johnson – will be leaked.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has again denied squeezing the thigh of a female journalist – even though he could not remember the lunch where the incident allegedly occurred.

Johnson insisted that women voters can “absolutely” trust him as he hinted that allegations about his conduct have been made because of attempts by some people to “frustrate” Brexit.

He said claims he squeezed Charlotte Edwardes’s thigh at a lunch 20 years ago were not true, but he had “no memory whatsoever” of the event.

Reflecting on the pressure he was under, the Prime Minister accepted it was “inevitable” that he would come under “shot and shell”.

Johnson faced a series of broadcast interviews on Tuesday on the eve of his keynote conference speech.

In response to Edwardes’s claims about an incident at the Spectator’s HQ shortly after Johnson became the magazine’s editor, the Prime Minister told ITV the allegation was “absolutely not true” even though he could not remember the lunch.

Asked if women could trust him, he said his administration as mayor of London was “more or less a total feminocracy”.

He said: “I’m not going to deny that lots of stuff is being thrown at me at the moment but this is a very turbulent time in British politics and people will want to try and knock government off course because at the moment the task is a difficult mission, but a vital mission, that is to get Brexit done by October 31.”