Watchdog looks into £220,000 public funding for Johnson Partygate defence

Exclusive: Director at NAO, which hasn't launched a formal inquiry, plans to speak to Cabinet Office about legal costs over former PM's denials in Commons

Officials at the government's spending watchdog are examining the controversial decision to provide 220,000 of taxpayers' money to fund Boris Johnson's legal defence for the inquiry into his Partygate denials.

The National Audit Office (NAO) has yet to decide whether to mount a formal investigation, but one of its directors is planning to speak to the Cabinet Office about it.