The media never rests, constantly digging for some juicy details about famous people. This time, UK former PM Boris Jonson became the prey. As it turned out, during his term, Johnson spent $1.1 million to have the prime ministerial plane painted with a Union Jack flag.
Journalists came across these expenditures when studying government spending during Boris Johnson's term as prime minister. Approximately, £800,000 (more than $ 1.1 million) was allocated for painting the Union Jack on government aircraft. Curiously enough, this was not the first plane that Johnson painted. The reaction of taxpayers was rather negative. In 2020, Johnson spent £900,000 on repainting another government aircraft - RAF Voyager (Airbus A330), which caused outrage among UK residents. One scandal was not enough for the ex-prime minister. Thus, he decided to try his fate once again. It may lead to another complaint to the British Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) from the Taxpayers' Alliance.
“The RAF Voyager used by the royal family and the PM is currently in Cambridgeshire for pre-planned repainting. This will mean that the plane can better represent the UK around the world with national branding, which will be in line with many other leaders’ planes,” Johnson’s spokesman said. The culture secretary, Oliver Dowden, assumed that the expenditure was justified because the repainted plane would help to promote the country globally. Yet, the project was condemned as a waste of public money by opposition parties. Hence, Jonhson’s “expensive hobby” has made him less popular among UK residents.
