Boris Johnson has been showered with gifts and hospitality ahead of a possible bid to take over from David Cameron when he steps down as PM.

The outgoing London mayor who addressed the Conservative conference on Tuesday has been treated to stays in luxury hotel suites as well as a first class upgrade by British Airways.

Gifts included tickets to The Who, a Tiffany glass apple and a magnum of wine from actor Kevin Spacey.

The party big beast addresses the Conservative conference in Manchester on Tuesday - and his fight for the crown was boosted this week by a poll showing he is more popular among voters than rival George Osborne.

In the eight months between being selected as candidate for Uxbridge and South Ruislip and his victory on May 7, he was handed gifts, enjoyed five-star hotel suites and tucked into delicious dinners, thanks to multi-million-pound corporations or mega-rich tycoons.

And the gifts continued after his election triumph, with four tickets to a gig by The Who, two boxes of dates from Arab dignitaries and even a gift bag courtesy of kids cartoon channel Nickelodeon.

The Mayor was treated like royalty even before returning to Parliament - and was treated to a first-class upgrade by British Airways.

Rather than slumming it in economy with ordinary passengers and voters, he could stretch his legs at 35,000ft during his February trip.

The airline is currently waiting for the Government to decide where to build a new runway in the south east - with £250,000-a-year newspaper columnist Boris an outspoken opponent of Heathrow.

BA boss Willie Walsh is also against a third runway at the West London airport, claiming the cost would be “outrageous”.

Boris’s life of luxury continued when he touched down on US soil. He was upgraded to suites at a string of top hotels, including the four-star Fairmont in Washington DC where suites cost £1,200, and the Lexington and Battery Wharf hotels in New York.

Boris Johnson met Cheryl Fernandez-Versini at the Pride of Britain Awards
Boris Johnson met Cheryl Fernandez-Versini at the Pride of Britain Awards

When it came to dinners, hungry Mr Johnson broke bread with newspaper magnates Rupert Murdoch and Evgeny Lebedev, both of whose titles have backed him and the Tories.

Luxury gifts handed to the Mayor between September last year and May this year include posh Geox shoes, Sterling & Burke cuff links and a Tiffany glass apple.

He also got a tea set from the Libra Group, which has interests in aviation, property and energy; a silver candle holder from Indian property developer the Lodha Group; and a cigar box from Greek shipping tycoon George Tsavliris.

Other gifts included a model of Kuala Lumpur’s Petronas Towers from Malaysian property firm SP Septia; a rickshaw and an 1869 edition of Alfred Wallace’s book, The Malay Archipelago from Khazana; and shirts from royal shirtmakers Turnbull & Asser.

Old Etonian Boris was also handed a magnum of wine by American Beauty actor Kevin Spacey, Old Forester Bourbon by the US ambassador to Britain and champagne from a north London school.

He also declared smoked salmon from Lance Forman, who runs a London fish smokerie.

All the gifts and entertainment were properly registered on the London Assembly website and there is no suggestion of any wrongdoing.

His spokeswoman said: “The Mayor did not, and never does, seek upgrades to flights and accommodation, including on his six-day trade mission to the US, where he met with senior politicians, public officials and top business leaders to strengthen economic ties.

“All gifts and hospitality are properly registered and published on the City Hall website.”