British taxpayers must foot another five-figure bill to cover Boris Johnson’s legal costs during the party’s investigation. This can be read in the British newspaper The Guardian. Thus the party member Rishi Sunak’s government is giving additional support to the former prime minister.
It is suspected that Boris Johnson broke Corona rules several times in 2020 and 2021 and would have also lied in parliament after that. Meanwhile, the investigation of these cases is increasingly being delayed. In a controversial move, a £129,000 contract was signed to provide Johnson with taxpayer legal aid during the investigation.
In December 2022 a contract extension was requested at an additional cost of £90,000. The Guardian has learned that the contract will effectively be extended again. However, no official date has been set for the public hearings at which Boris Johnson will be questioned.
Government sources claim that Johnson’s legal counsel contract was extended simply because of the slow pace of the investigation. However, this defense is not entirely valid as the government itself has been accused of delaying progress by waiting four months to hand over a large amount of evidence.
anger
The British Socialist Workers Party believes this measure is unheard of. Especially in times of crisis when people can barely keep their heads above water. They also pointed to the millions Johnson has made since leaving Parliament in September. Ministers should clarify the nature of this contract. “They need to explain who approved it and why it was not vetted under Rishi Sunak,” said Labor deputy leader Angela Rayner.
“As families across the country worry about paying their bills, they will be justly outraged at the prospect of once again having to foot the bill for Boris Johnson’s Defense Fund. Rishi Sunak has shown yet again that he is too weak to lead the country,” Reiner told The Guardian.
However, the government maintains that there is an “established precedent” that former ministers can be assisted with legal aid even after they have left office. This is only possible when it comes to their work in government.
Johnson has only been fined one so far, for a birthday meeting for which he was held in the Cabinet Room on 19 June 2020.
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