Boris Johnson has been accused of charging taxpayers for “bad advice” - after research found his government employs more political advisers than any other in history.
Labour ’s Angela Rayner said this ballooning size of the PM’s inner circle reveals an “inefficient, jobs-for-mates Government, with no plans to tackle the cost of living crisis despite the huge resource to do it”.
In March this year there were 126 Special Advisers working across Government departments - up from 113 in 2021.
Pay and contributions for the army of spinners and wonks amounts to an eye-watering £12.7 million.
Advisors pay starts at £40,000 - but can rise to as much as £145,000 for the most senior staff, more than most ministers, and just £19,000 shy of the Prime Minister’s own salary.
Mr Johnson himself had the largest political staff, with a whopping 43 advisers on the books - including five in the highest pay bracket.
The Chancellor - then Rishi Sunak - had eight advisors, while deputy PM Dominic Raab had four.
Among the PM's most highly-paid advisors is Guto Harri, his gaffe-prone comms chief.
Mr Harri drew attention to himself by giving an interview on the day he was hired, saying Mr Johnson was "not a complete clown."
He is paid between £140,000 and £145,000.
Ms Rayner said: “The 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 for everyone.
“The saying goes that many hands make light work but not in Boris Johnson ’s government. If anything, the more advisors he hired the worse his government got.
“Labour would treat taxpayer’s money with care and respect through our Office of Value for Money.”
A Government spokesperson said: “Special advisers represent only 0.03 per cent of the Civil Service workforce and are critical to helping ensure the Government delivers on its election promises to the public.”
