BORIS S 43 ADVISERS
Record £12.7m cost for team
BORIS Johnson has been accused of charging taxpayers for “bad advice” after analysis found his government employs more political advisers than any other in history.
Labour’s Angela Rayner said the size of the PM’S inner circle revealed an “inefficient, jobs-for-mates government, with no plans to tackle the costof-living crisis despite the huge resource to do it”.
In March this year there were 126 special advisers working across departments – up from 113 in 2021.
Pay and contributions for the army of spinners and swots totals £12.7million.
Adviser pay starts at £40,000 but can hit £145,000 for the most senior – £19,000 shy of the PM’S salary. In March Mr Johnson had the largest political staff at 43, with five in the top pay bracket. His team included former BBC journalist and PR expert Guto Harri, who joined as No10 director of communications in February. The Chancellor – then Rishi Sunak – had eight, while deputy PM Dominic Raab four. Deputy Labour leader Ms Rayner said: “Government has more advisers than ever but no plan to tackle the cost-of-living crisis or the huge backlogs clogging up access to services. “Many hands make light work but not in Boris Johnson’s government. The more advisers he hired the worse his government got.” She added a Labour government would keep a lid on adviser costs and “respect” taxpayers’ money by launching an Office of Value for Money that monitored spending.
Meanwhile, a well-placed Westminster insider revealed the PM, who is due to be replaced after the Tories name his successor on September 5, is plotting a return to No10 if Liz Truss “implodes” in the top job.
He and his supporters are said to be “delusional” about his prospects of winning another election and a disastrous first few months of a Truss premiership would be seen as an opportunity for him to swoop in.
The source said: “I think that could intensify if things go badly for Liz. She’s got strikes, energy bills, inflation, the whole lot.”
A Labour source said: “Boris Johnson has had his chance and he’s been rejected.”
A government spokesman said: “Special advisers represent only 0.03 per cent of the civil service workforce and are critical.”
mikey.smith@mirror.co.uk