Boris Johnson is known to have strong opinions on the appearance of government jets (File)
London:
Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced contempt and ridicule on Wednesday after the government announced that it would spend nearly £ 1 million to repaint its official plane in Union Jack colors.
Key political opponents have accused Johnson of wasting taxpayers’ money on a vanity project while millions of people are fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
Downing Street said that the RAF Voyager transport plane that British prime ministers share with members of the royal family is currently undergoing a facelift near Cambridge, in the east of England.
“We expect the cost to be around £ 900,000 ($ 1.1 million, € 1.0 million),” said Johnson’s spokesperson.
“This includes the cost of creating a design that will promote the UK to the world without compromising the vital military role of the aircraft.”
Johnson is known for having strong opinions on the appearance of government jets.
He complained in 2018 that he had to share the “gray” plane with the Prime Minister at the time, Theresa May, while he was still Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Johnson’s decision to spend public money on a paint job in the midst of the most severe economic downturn ever recorded has been mocked by opposition members.
“Rather than reverse the damaging policies that have pushed millions of people into poverty, the Prime Minister is more interested in finding money to spend on his own vanity project, a luxury VIP plane,” said the Scottish National Party Parliamentary Leader Ian Blackford.
“For heaven’s sake. Please, can we have an adult as Prime Minister instead of a child,” tweeted Emma Hardy of the main opposition Labor party.
And the interim leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, noted that the steroid dexamethasone that British scientists have shown to be an effective treatment for the most serious new cases of coronavirus costs only a few pounds per patient.
“Boris Johnson could have bought 1,800,000 doses, but instead painted a flag on an airplane,” said Davey.
“At every step we are working to ensure value for money for the UK, and all the work has been done in the UK, directly benefiting UK suppliers,” said Johnson’s spokesperson.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
