Apartment refurbishment: UK PM faces formal probe

Britain's Electoral Commission began an investigation yesterday into the refurbishment of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Downing Street apartment, saying there were grounds to suspect an offence may have been committed. Johnson's opponents say he may have broken British rules by letting party donors secretly contribute tens of thousands of pounds to a luxury renovation of his living quarters. In a hot-tempered appearance in parliament yesterday, Johnson repeatedly insisted he had covered the cost of the renovation himself. If it finds sufficient evidence of an offence, the commission can issue a fine of up to 20,000 pounds or refer the matter to the police.