Boris Johnson will apply to a county court to “strike out” a claim against him for a £535 unpaid debt because it is “totally without merit”, Downing Street has said.
Private Eye reported on Wednesday that the official register for county court judgments (CCJs) in England and Wales shows the prime minister was served with a notice of the judgment in October 26, 2020.
A search of the county court judgments database shows the “unsatisfied record” registered to Johnson at “10 Downing Street”.
The official court records do not state who the creditor is, nor the nature of the debt.
County court judgments can be issued if someone takes court action against an individual and they do not respond.
The judgment means the court has formally decided the money is owed, according to the government site.
But HuffPost UK understands that No.10 regards the claim as not genuine.
Responding later on Wednesday, a No.10 spokesperson said: “An application will be made for an order to set aside the default judgment, to strike out the claim and for a declaration that the claim is totally without merit.”
The judgment was issued less than a fortnight after a Conservative donor told the party he was donating £58,000 in relation to refurbishments at Johnson’s Downing Street flat.
No. 10 denied there was any connection between the CCJ and the flat revamp.