UK Government "Unlawfully" Gave Contract To PM Johnson's Ex-Aide's Friends: Court

The ruling comes as Boris Johnson has faced accusations of cronyism and lack of transparency in handing lucrative supply contracts during the coronavirus pandemic.

The UK government unlawfully awarded a communications contract to friends of a key adviser of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a High Court judge ruled Wednesday. The ruling comes as Johnson has faced accusations of cronyism and lack of transparency in handing lucrative supply contracts during the coronavirus pandemic. The claim was submitted by The Good Law Project, a campaign group that fights legal cases that it views as in the public interest. The contract was to provide the government with information on the public mood through focus groups and test the effectiveness of public health slogans.