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Original poster

£27k on organic food from Daylesford - our dear PM

97 replies

Tulipomania · 23/05/2021 10:08

What do we think of this?

Sorry it's the Mail - if anyone has seen it covered elsewhere please share the link, www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9606217/Butler-smuggled-27-000-organic-takeaways-No-10-paid-wife-Tory-donor.html

OP posts:
midsomermurderess · 23/05/2021 13:04

And do stop with 'what do we think. Mumsnet very evidently is not as of one view.

Atalantea · 23/05/2021 13:16

The PM and government must not only do the right thing, they must be seen to do it

Lepetitpiggy · 23/05/2021 13:18

If it's all fine and dandy and above board and of course they need to eat etc...why was it 'smuggled in'? I rarely comment on political posts, but really why do people still defend them?

Interested in this thread?

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Cost of living General food
MilduraS · 23/05/2021 13:20

No issue with him eating 27k worth of food but it's very concerning that it was paid for by someone else and he's tried to conceal it. When I worked at a solicitors I had to declare a bottle of champagne gifted by a client yet somehow he can conceal his much more generous gifts while in a politically exposed position. How many people have given him lavish gifts and what has he done/ is he expected to do in return. There have already been concerns raised about some of the excessive contracts handed out during the pandemic, it will be interesting to see how many of those businesses are owned by donors.

BashfulClam · 23/05/2021 13:24

So he misses cobra meetings to try and make money essentially taking his eye off the ball but thinks £27k is an ok food bill! Fuck off you massive idiot!

£27k on organic food from Daylesford - our dear PM
Roussette · 23/05/2021 13:29

I am astounded that people think this is OK

And me.

It's honestly disgusting. I can't get over the apathy from some people with the 'so what, he has to eat' nonsense.

This is nearly £1,000 a week for two adults. You can barely count a baby into it.
It is absolutely nauseating given he had to be pushed by MarcusR to provide free lunches during hols for kids of families who struggle.

And let's just focus on the freebies? These companies don't do something for nothing. He is beholden to every single donor or Co he takes stuff from.

I cannot wait for him to be gone. I hope Cummings sticks the knife in next week.
And please do not talk about the vaccination record, that is down to the NHS.

midsomermurderess · 23/05/2021 13:39

And this speaks to a pattern of behaviour from Johnson. Who paid for his Mustique holiday? The people he said did have all denied it. Who paid for the No 11 refurbishment? No one knows. If Johnson finally stumped up from his own pocket, where did the money originally come from? He has clear form for not accurately, or in time, entering relevant mattes into the Register of Members' Interest, on several occasions, sometimes significant amounts of money. And, if he is accepting free food, what is his limit, how easy is it to get to him to influence him?There are rumours that Wilfred's child care in being paid for by party donors. At this rate, is it so unbelievable?
This is who the PM is. It matters.

Roussette · 23/05/2021 13:50

Exactly.

And when the ghastly Patel was questioned on Marr on the Ministerial code she swept that aside saying it didn't matter because everyone is doing 'hard jobs'.

Shock

Johnson continually says he doesn't earn enough (which is why he writes a book and misses 5 COBRA meetings at a crucial time) so no doubt he is open to bribes, gifts and freebies.
His Mustique holiday is being investigated again.
Good
He needs to be held to account.

picturesandpickles · 23/05/2021 13:51

@FunnyInjury

The problem isn't the food. The problem is who is paying for it 🤦‍♀️
Exactly!
Kezzie200 · 23/05/2021 14:00

There's two things going on here.for me.

The first is its wrong if its not been declared correctly. Boris might not like the rules , then do something else. The rest of us have to abide by them - so should he. If he doesn't, it does matter, his attitude will trickle down to all.

The second issue is that of PM pay. When you compare with what he's paid and, say, top Council officials, it seems wrong. I know they make a lot afterwards on the circuit that, again, encourages the wrong people. The pay should be higher for the PM but with rules that can be brought before the court for malpractice and serious time potentially served.

ShrinkingViolet9 · 23/05/2021 14:28

27K is a good deal more than many people in the UK earn in a year.

chesirecat99 · 23/05/2021 14:29

I agree it's wrong if it was paid for by Lady Bamford and wasn't declared but...

I have no idea how the Daily Fail came up with the figure of it costing £27k for 125 days of 3 meals and some days of lunch only at market value. Both the Daylesford Cafe and the farm shop are on Deliveroo here. A 3 course preprepared dinner for 2 is £20 from the shop, a tenner or less for lunch or breakfast from the cafe. More like £5k, including a Deliveroo subscription.

I suppose sending it on a Boris bike with a member of staff costs more, so an hour's salary, the bike would be free. A courier would be under £20.

SteveArnottsCodeine · 23/05/2021 14:40

What @whoopsnomore said. If it was just the cash would be it be okay? No, of course not, you’d wonder why someone was giving him wads of cash and might even use the word “bribery”. Why is this any different, just because it’s in the form of ready meals?

Also, this is the leader of a government who had to be shamed by a footballer into feeding kids from disadvantaged backgrounds. Shame those poor little fuckers haven’t got some rich mates to buy them premade spaghetti carbonaras.

I feel like our Prime Minister really feels he’s above spending his own money on the day to day essentials, like he’s too grand to buy food. Earth to Boris: everyone else has to budget. You earn decent money. Stop rinsing this position for everything you can get, you utter, utter whore.

Original poster
Tulipomania · 23/05/2021 14:52

@midsomermurderess

And do stop with 'what do we think. Mumsnet very evidently is not as of one view.
It's a turn of phrase, dear. With an implied touch of irony.

I was expecting a wide range of views to be expressed about this issue, as they have been.

Sorry if it's not good enough for you.

OP posts:
whoopsnomore · 23/05/2021 14:55

I would just add that I never thought I'd say this, but at least Thatcher seemed to be operating from some sense of duty and moral imperative. (Not that I agree with much of what she said or did) but in comparison Johnson appears to be making it up as he goes along swayed by what he thinks might go down well at the time and acting like the world owes him a living.

midsomermurderess · 23/05/2021 15:03

It's not a matter of 'not bring good enough'. It's silly and irritating.

ncgy · 23/05/2021 15:14

Johnson continually says he doesn't earn enough

He should probably stop having dc then.

ncgy · 23/05/2021 15:16

The second issue is that of PM pay. When you compare with what he's paid and, say, top Council officials, it seems wrong. I know they make a lot afterwards on the circuit that, again, encourages the wrong people. The pay should be higher for the PM but with rules that can be brought before the court for malpractice and serious time potentially served.

I don't disagree with this but doubling or tripling it won't allow for that food budget or renovations.

luckylavender · 23/05/2021 15:18

@Mrsjayy - & that's exactly why it's not allowed.

NewMatress · 23/05/2021 15:19

Rich man buys expensive food shocker.

There doesn't seem to be any suggestion that "we" have paid for it . They do need to sort out the Tory donor thing though.

SmallPrawnEnergy · 23/05/2021 15:23

£27k of organic healthy food and a personal trainer and THAT is the outcome? Confused

ncgy · 23/05/2021 15:27

😆

bishbashbosh99 · 23/05/2021 15:27

Couldn't give a shit. Strange that's it's in the paper and even more strange that anyone should care (IMO)

Crockof · 23/05/2021 15:48

@bishbashbosh99

Couldn't give a shit. Strange that's it's in the paper and even more strange that anyone should care (IMO)
You don't care that the Prime Minister is in such a precarious financial position he is happy to accept bribes? Tory bribes? Where does it stop, American bribes? Russian bribes? Which of the above would you consider acceptable? Would you be happy if you could bribe a teacher to get your dc good grades?
EssentialHummus · 23/05/2021 15:49

There are two issues for me -

Potential corruption / cronyism. If you care about what the public think and want to avoid a whiff of impropriety, you don't accept large donations/donations in kind at all, let alone from people who look like they might be party donors.

If he is paying for this food, it just looks a bit... crass? Dumb? Reckless with money? No one would begrudge a busy household with a newborn loading up at Ocado, Waitrose, Cook or whatever, but this looks terrible - poor judgment, out of touch. You know in normal times when you see a photo of Kate Middleton in Sainsbury's with her kids, or of her, PW and all the kids on board an easyJet flight? It's the opposite of that.