I don’t buy the explanation proffered by a No 10 aide for the prime minister becoming embroiled in a scandal about lavish spending on redecoration of his flat. “The bottom line is that he can’t afford to be prime minister,” they told The Sunday Times, which is all very well, except that Boris Johnson is on a salary of £157,372, five times the average wage, this being topped up with royalties for his books, which have amounted to about £25,000 since he became prime minister, and he and his fiancée reportedly own two houses, which presumably could be sold if he were in dire straits. Moreover, his long history of tightness with money surely provides an alternative explanation. A history touched upon by Tom

Source: The Times May 06, 2021 15:56 UTC