Boris Johnson has been issued with a county court judgment for an unpaid £535 debt.
If the debt remains outstanding, the prime minister could soon face the prospect of bailiffs arriving at Number 10.
The official register of county court judgments for England and Wales shows that Mr Johnson had a judgment against him in October last year.
The judgement, which was first revealed by the Private Eye magazine, does not give details of to whom the debt is owed.
County court judgments are a late point in a process of seeking redress for a debt, indicating the prime minister would most likely have been contacted via post several times earlier, asking him to repay the debt.
Boris v. the bailiffs? A county court judgement for unpaid debt was issued last October against one Boris Johnson, address 10 Downing Street – and six months on, it STILL hasn’t been paid. An exclusive in the new Private Eye, on sale today.
— Private Eye Magazine (@PrivateEyeNews) May 12, 2021
Unless a debt incurring a county court judgment is paid within 30 days, it is placed on someone’s credit record for six years, making it much more difficult to get loans or mortgages.
A creditor can also apply to the county court for a bailiff to collect the debt.
The news will increase scrutiny of how Mr Johnson was able to afford to pay for a refurbishment of his Downing Street flat, which reportedly cost up to £200,000, for which he is believed to have paid partly via a loan.
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “Another day, another report of deeply concerning irregularities about the renovation of Boris Johnson’s flat.
“This is not about Boris Johnson’s personal finances, the record speaks for itself that he has already broken the rules on declaring his financial interests, and he is already under investigation regarding potentially illegal wrongdoing.
“The issue of debt when it comes to the prime minister is whatever debt of gratitude Boris Johnson owes to the Tory donor who paid to renovate his flat, and what this donor or donors were promised or expected in return for their generosity.”
Responding to the report, the prime minister’s spokesman said: “It has nothing to do with the refurbishment of the Downing Street estate, where all such bills have been duly paid either by the Government or the prime minister personally”.
Pressed on whether Mr Johnson had now settled the debt, his spokesman said: “We’re looking into this specific issue.”