PMQs: Boris Johnson makes ‘no apology’ over Dyson texts

(PA)

A defiant Boris Johnson said he makes “no apology” for exchanging text messages with Sir James Dyson over ventilators at the start of the pandemic.

Sir Keir Starmer used Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions to try and skewer Mr Johnson over text messages uncovered by the BBC between him and billionaire Sir James.

In the texts, the PM assured the Singapore-based inventor that his employees would not have to pay extra tax if they came to the UK to make ventilators during the pandemic.

Sir Keir asked Mr Johnson if he thought it was right to “fix tax rules” if he receives a text message from a billionaire Conservative supporter.

However, the PM hit back: "If he’s referring to the request from James Dyson, I make absolutely no apology at all for shifting heaven and earth and doing everything I possibly could, as I think any prime minister would in those circumstances, to secure ventilators for the people of this country.

"And to save lives and to roll out a ventilator procurement which the Labour-controlled Public Accounts Committee themselves said was a benchmark for procurement."

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