Funds investigated

THE National Audit Office (NAO) is considering a formal investigation into how £220,000 of public money was used to fund Boris Johnson’s legal Partygate defence.

According to a news source on Wednesday, February 1 no formal decision had been made on whether to investigate the issue although discussions are taking place between the NAO and the Cabinet Office.

The six­figure sum is, however, not the end of the story with more money potentially being set aside to cover ongoing investigations by the privileges committee.

Labour’s leader Sir Keir Starmer has called on the prime minister to cut the funding saying that he should tell Johnson “that as he made the mess, he can pick up the bill.”

It is understood that the initial contract issued to Peters & Peters to cover Johnson’s defence was for £129,000, but that the contract had been extended until this month given delays in obtaining information from the government. That extension provides for a budget of £220,000.

Whilst there is legal precedent for funding of this nature, critics say that the circumstances are different and that the public funding for Johnson’s Partygate defence needs to be investigated.