Boris Johnson in front of the Vote Leave battle bus in June 2016 MATT CARDY/GETTY IMAGESBoris Johnson will be summonsed to court to answer accusations that he lied to the public during the EU referendum. The former foreign secretary and frontrunner to be the next prime minister must attend court for a preliminary hearing, District Judge Margot Coleman ruled this morning. Marcus Ball, 29, raised more than £200,000 through crowdfunding to bring a private prosecution of misconduct in public office, accusing Mr Johnson of endorsing and making statements that he knew to be false. The case rests on the Vote Leave campaign’s claim that the UK sends £350 million a week to the EU, which the government could instead spend on the NHS. In a written decision the judge wrote: “The allegations which have been made are unproven accusations and…

Source: The Times May 29, 2019 11:03 UTC