LONDON — Police were called to the home of Boris Johnson on Friday after a report from a neighbor of the man who looks poised to become Britain’s next prime minister.
London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement they received a call just after midnight local time Friday from a resident who “was concerned for the welfare of a female neighbor.”
They attended a home in the south London area where Johnson lives with partner Carrie Symonds, but said the residents of the home in question were found to be “safe and well.”
“There were no offences or concerns apparent to the officers and there was no cause for police action,” the statement added.
A neighbor told the U.K. newspaper The Guardian they had called police after hearing a woman scream followed by “slamming and banging.”
The Guardian claims an audio recording of the altercation by the neighbor reveals Symonds yelling at Johnson to leave the flat, which he refused, followed by a crashing sound.
Symonds is heard saying Johnson had ruined a sofa with red wine, according to the Guardian’s account.
“You just don’t care for anything because you’re spoilt. You have no care for money or anything,” Symonds is quoted as saying by the newspaper.
NBC News could not independently obtain the recording or verify its contents.
A spokesperson for Johnson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Johnson is one of two remaining candidates competing to lead Britain’s ruling Conservative Party after Prime Minister Theresa May stepped down as its leader earlier this month.
By a quirk of the U.K.’s political system, that person will also become the next prime minister — no general election is needed.
Johnson begins his campaign to win over the party’s membership on Saturday.
The New York-born former mayor of London and foreign secretary enters the final stage of the contest as the clear favorite against current foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt.
Eight other leadership hopefuls were eliminated in earlier rounds of voting among the party’s Members of Parliament, with Johnson holding commanding leads in each round.
The two remaining candidates will now travel the country to make their case to the 120,000 voters who will decide their fate.
Party members will begin the final vote for the new leader next month with results slated to be announced July 22.
Whoever wins will be handed the responsibility of navigating Brexit ahead of the U.K.’s Oct. 31 deadline to leave the European Union.
Johnson has vowed to stick to that deadline — even if no deal has been agreed.
Tony Brown contributed.
