Watchdog looks into £220,000 public funding for Johnson Partygate defence

Johnson has defended his actions as PM during lockdown, insisting: ‘I thought what we were doing was within the rules.’ Photograph: Victoria Jones/PA

Officials at the government’s spending watchdog are examining the controversial decision to provide £220,000 of taxpayers’ money to fund Boris Johnson’s legal defence for the inquiry into his Partygate denials.

The National Audit Office (NAO) has yet to decide whether to mount a formal investigation, but one of its directors is planning to speak to the Cabinet Office about it.