Boris Johnson has failed to deny that he had talks with Downing Street aides about getting his wife, Carrie Johnson, two top jobs.
It comes after reports that the Prime Minister raised the prospect of new environmental roles for Ms Johnson.
The roles would have focused either on the COP26 summit, held in Glasgow last year, or with the Royal Family, it is suggested.
Johnson is also alleged to have attempted to make Ms Johnson his £100,000 per year chief of staff whilst he was the UK’s foreign secretary and she was his girlfriend.
The issued was raised during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
Labour MP Chris Elmore asked Johnson if he had “ever considered the appointment of his current spouse to a government post or to any organisation in one of the royal households?”
He added: “Be honest Prime Minister: yes or no?”
The Prime Minister responded: “I know why the party opposite wants to talk about non-existent jobs in the media because they don’t want to talk about what’s going on in the real world.
“I’m proud to say actually that we now have 620,000 people more in pay-rolled employment than before the pandemic began.
“Which would never have been possible if we’d listened to the right honourable gentleman opposite.”
Meanwhile, Labour leader Keir Starmer challenged Johnson over suggestions that he could seek to cut limits on the pay of bankers.
He told MPs: “There’s a huge problem facing the country and all he’s interested in doing is blaming everyone else.
“Can’t he hear the country screaming at him, ‘get on with your job?’
“Whilst he blames everyone and anyone, working people are paying the price.
“This week, his Treasury minister said there’s a society-wide responsibility for people to take a pay cut.
“At the same time, his chief of staff is trying to change the law to get bankers’ bonuses increased.
“So come on, only one of them can be right. Is it his Treasury minister who says every worker needs a pay cut?
“Or is his chief of staff who says every banker needs a pay rise?”
Johnson pointed to measures taken by the UK Government in seeking to support household finances.
He responded: “Actually, under this government, five million public sector workers are getting a pay rise.
“We’ve increased the living wage by £1,000, we’ve increased Universal Credit so that people get £1,000 more.
“Thanks to the fiscal firepower that we have, we’re putting £1,200 more into every one of the eight million most vulnerable households in the countrty.
“That is what we can do because of the tough decisions that we have taken.”
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