<p>LONDON — A court order naming British Prime Minister Boris Johnson as owing an unpaid debt was no longer on the books Thursday, a day after Johnson’s office called it “totally without merit.”</p>
<p>An October 2020 county court judgment uncovered by Private Eye magazine named Boris Johnson of 10 Downing St. in London as owing 535 pounds ($755). A separate file showed the claim was made by an Yvonne Hobbs for “defamation.”</p>
<p>Johnson’s office initially appeared unaware of the judgment when asked about it, and later called it “vexatious and spurious.”</p>
<p>“An application will be made for an order to set aside the default judgment, to strike out the claim and for a declaration that the claim is totally without merit,” Downing St. said in a statement.</p>
<p>On Thursday a court official said there was no longer a county court judgment in the case.</p>
<p>County court judgments can be issued if someone fails to respond to court action over an alleged debt, according to a government website. The judgment means the court has formally decided the money is owed, but the order can be appealed.</p>
<p>Johnson’s finances are under scrutiny, with election watchdog the Electoral Commission investigating the funding of renovations to the prime minister’s official residence.</p>
<p>Britain’s parliamentary ethics watchdog is also investigating who paid for Johnson’s vacation on the Caribbean island of Mustique just before the coronavirus pandemic.</p>
