Woman behind £535 Boris county court claim revealed

A COUNTY court claim against Boris Johnson for a £535 debt was brought by a woman who accused him of “repeated defamation”, it has emerged.

The claim was brought against the prime minister by a woman called Yvonne Hobbs, believed to be a serial litigant, the Evening Standard revealed last night. Asked for reasons for bringing the case, Ms Hobbs told the online civil money claims court it was for “defamation” and “committed repeated defamation”.

No further information about the case, which resulted in a judgment last October, has been made publicly available at this stage. The existence of the case was first revealed by Private Eye magazine, with the Rt Hon Boris Johnson listed as defendant and his address given as 10 Downing Street. The £535 debt is shown as being “unsatisfied”.

Downing Street said the debt claim against the Prime Minister was “totally without merit” and an application was being lodged in an attempt to strike it out.

The judgment has raised eyebrows as it was dated during a key period concerning questions over the Prime Minister’s controversial refurbishment to his flat in No 11.

Downing Street appeared unaware of the judgment but officials insisted it is not linked to the flat renovation, which the Electoral Commission is investigating to ascertain whether any donations were properly declared. “We are looking into this issue,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.

“I can confirm it is 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.”

The Government website says about the online court: “If you get a judgment, this means that the court has decided that you owe the money.”