Boris Johnson’s partygate authorized charges value taxpayer £265,000

Boris Johnson’s authorized defence charges for the probe into his position within the partygate scandal have topped £265,000, new figures have revealed.

The Cabinet Office stated on Thursday the previous prime minister’s authorized defence totalled £265,522 – a invoice it paid as Mr Johnson defended himself to the parliamentary committee.

Peters & Peters, the legislation agency used to offer Mr Johnson with authorized recommendation, was handed a contract in August 2022 value £129,000, though the Cabinet Office later estimated prices would rise to £222,000.

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The inquiry itself discovered Mr Johnson had lied to parliament over his position within the lockdown-breaking events in Downing Street.

Boris Johnson, who stood down as prime minister in September 2022, additionally give up as an MP earlier this 12 months forward of the total report, triggering a by-election in Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

The Privileges Committee report beneficial Mr Johnson face a 90-day suspension from the House of Commons for deceptive MPs and for being complicit in a marketing campaign to discredit the panel.

MPs accredited the report final month.

The authorized prices have been first reported by The Guardian.

Deputy Leader of the Labour Party Angela Rayner stated: “At the height of a cost of living crisis, Rishi Sunak has stood by and watched as the disgraced former prime minister milks the taxpayer to the tune of a quarter of a million pounds to prop up his partygate denials.

“This is a spineless prime minister, too weak to place a cease to this unprecedented and unacceptable waste of taxpayers’ cash or power his predecessor at hand again taxpayers’ cash.”

Ahead of the COVID-19 inquiry, Mr Johnson was as a consequence of handover his WhatsApp messages from his previous cellphone, however missed the deadline as a consequence of allegedly forgetting his password to the machine.