Quite a day in Westminster. Something repeated by many there and on here is that issues around transparency aren’t important because the public doesn’t care. A) that’s disputable B) even if it were true it’s irrelevant. Public interest and the public interest aren’t the same.

Ie yes, no-one cares about what furnishings the PM has chosen for the Downing St flat. It’s of no public interest.

It clearly IS in the public interest to know who is paying for those furnishings, if it isn’t (or at some point wasn’t) the PM.

It really is as straightforward as that- transparency is vital to ensure there’s no actual or perceived conflict of interest- its incumbent upon any minister to ensure that conflict (perceived or actual) doesn’t arise. As set out in Boris Johnson’s ministerial code.