Johnson claims Starmer donations look ‘greedy’ as he defends his PPE record

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Louise Thomas

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Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to accept clothing freebies looks “greedy”, Boris Johnson said as he defended his record on PPE contracts during the pandemic.

The former Tory prime minister criticised his Labour successor’s decision to accept gifts of clothing and glasses, as Sir Keir “must be worth a bob or two” due to his legal career.

Mr Johnson, himself no stranger to questions about donations, meanwhile defended his government’s decision to award contracts for personal protective equipment (PPE) to inexperienced suppliers during the pandemic, some of which had close links with ministers.

Speaking to LBC on Tuesday morning, former MP Mr Johnson said: “I want you to know, I have no donors paying for my suits. Or spectacles. Who pays for your spectacles? You pay for your spectacles, don’t you? It’s unbelievable.

“I mean, the guy (Sir Keir), he’s a silk, right? I mean, he must be worth a bob or two. Why has he got some guy paying for his spectacles?”

Mr Johnson, who is promoting his memoir Unleashed, questioned why Sir Keir had accepted lavish gifts from Labour peer and donor Lord Alli when he was “on a perfectly good salary from the Government anyway”.

He added: “You know, that looks greedy, right? But if you then give the guy a pass to Number 10, that looks corrupt. And so I just don’t get it. I don’t know why he’s still wearing those spectacles.

“Well apart from the fact he can’t see. He can’t see what a mess he’s making of things.”

Elsewhere, Mr Johnson was asked if he would apologise for initiating wasteful and dubious Covid contracts related to PPE during the pandemic.

In recent months, campaign group Transparency International UK has raised red flags about more than 130 such contracts, claiming some of them are at risk of corruption as they were awarded to inexperienced companies with close links to the Tories.

The BBC has meanwhile reported PPE worth an estimated £1.4 billion, which was acquired by the government in a single deal during the pandemic, has been destroyed or written off.

Mr Johnson told LBC he remembered “our absolute desperation” to get PPE into the UK.

He then apologised for the dubious nature of some contracts, telling LBC: “They did and I’m sorry about that but, you know, frankly, we needed that stuff as fast as possible.

“And I think most people really understand that. Our country was desperate for protective equipment.

“And, you know, I defend the government in trying to get it as fast as possible. And all sorts of crazy people were recommended to us for PPE, but we just had to act as fast as we could.”

Alongside questions about Covid contracts, Mr Johnson’s time in office was dogged by accusations of sleaze regarding donations he received.

Among them were the questions he faced about gold wallpaper when Lord Brownlow, a Tory donor, paid for a refurbishment of the Downing Street flat which the then-prime minister was living in.

The Electoral Commission fined the Conservative Party £17,800 for not following the law accurately in declaring the donation.

Mr Johnson was also investigated over who paid for a luxury holiday he took with his then fiancee (now wife), Carrie Symonds, in 2019.

Carphone Warehouse owner David Ross invited them to his villa on Caribbean island Mustique.

The Commons Standards Committee criticised Mr Johnson as he took so long to provide a proper explanation about the holiday.