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Downing Street denies reports that Boris Johnson flew to Italy for weekend break earlier this month

Boris Johnson waving -  REUTERS/Toby Melville
Boris Johnson waving - REUTERS/Toby Melville

Downing Street has strongly denied reports in the Italian media that Boris Johnson took a trip to Perugia in mid-September.

An article in La Repubblica titled: The mystery of Boris Johnson’s “trip to Perugia” said that Mr Johnson was in Perugia "over the past few days", and a source told the newspaper that the Prime Minister "arrived on Friday September 11 at 2pm and left on Monday September 14 at 7.45".

But Downing Street said the story was "completely untrue" and Mr Johnson had not travelled to Italy "in recent months".

The allegations that Mr Johnson had flown to Italy arose after Barcelona footballer Luiz Suarez was spotted in the area.

The international airport of Perugia issued a statement on Thursday, saying: "Over the past few days, many names and personalities from the political, sporting and economic world have arrived here in Perugia.

Barcelona's Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez - CROCCHIONI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Barcelona's Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez - CROCCHIONI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

"From Prada CEO Patrizio Bertelli to the British PM Boris Johnson, preceded by Tony Blair (former UK premier) and not least the champion footballer Luis Suarez from Barcelona, who landed this afternoon to take an Italian language exam at the University for Foreigners of Perugia.

“Umbria and our airport are at the center of the world at this end of the season, with more and more personalities choosing the "San Francesco d’Assisi" airport thanks to its strategic position in the center of Italy, the speed of connection and the always punctual and efficient service that the airport is able to guarantee”.

Mr Johnson has visited the area a number of times, and stayed at the house of his longtime friend Evgeny Lebedev, the Russian-British businessman and owner of the Evening Standard, who he nominated for a peerage last month.

The mystery thickened with ITV political editor Robert Peston saying that he has been told that on the weekend of September 11 the Prime Minister and his fiancee Carrie Symonds were baptising their son Wilfred in Westminster Cathedral.

Mr Peston tweeted: “You can confirm with the priest!” I was told. So he could not have been in Italy then.

A Number 10 spokesman said: "This story is completely untrue. The Prime Minister has not travelled to Italy in recent months.

"Anyone who publishes these claims is repeating a falsehood."