Skip to main content

Head of Boris Johnson's vaccine taskforce bills taxpayers £670,000 for a team of boutique PR consultants to oversee her media strategy

The head of Boris Johnson's vaccine taskforce has billed the taxpayer £670,000 for a team of boutique PR consultants to oversee her media strategy.

Kate Bingham, 55, has already spent £500,000 on eight full-time consultants from Admiral Associates - with the team contracted until the end of the year. 

The costs involved mean that each consultant is on the equivalent of a £167,000 a year salary, according to leaked documents. 

It is understood that the team help Ms Bingham to draft statements and prepare for media appearances. 

Kate Bingham, 55, (pictured) has already spent £500,000 on eight full-time consultants from Admiral Associates - with the team contracted until the end of the year

Kate Bingham, 55, has already spent £500,000 on eight full-time consultants from Admiral Associates - with the team contracted until the end of the year

Concerns had been raised that hiring the eight consultants would duplicate the work of more than 100 communications staff already working in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

But Ms Bingham is said to have 'insisted' before the decision was signed off by civil servants - rather than Business Secretary Alok Sharma, according to the Sunday Times.

One Whitehall source told the publication: 'The consultants bossing around civil servants but no one knows who they are, what their experience is or what authority they have.' 

Meanwhile, it emerged that Ms Bingham, who is married to Conservative Minister Jesse Norman, will hold a virtual conference next year for 'executives, bankers venture capitalists'.

It is thought she will discuss her part in the taskforce to 'find and manufacture a Covid-19 vaccine' with tickets priced at $2,460 (£1,870) per head.  

MailOnline has contacted the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Admiral Associates for comment. 

The revelation comes after Ms Bingham was slammed for revealing secret government plans on potential vaccines to financiers at an American venture capital conference (above) earlier this month

The revelation comes after Ms Bingham was slammed for revealing secret government plans on potential vaccines to financiers at an American venture capital conference earlier this month 

Ms Bingham was appointed to lead the UK's efforts to research and produce a coronavirus vaccine by the Prime Minister (pictured) in May - despite having no vaccines expertise

Ms Bingham was appointed to lead the UK's efforts to research and produce a coronavirus vaccine by the Prime Minister in May - despite having no vaccines expertise

The revelation comes after Ms Bingham was slammed for revealing secret government plans on potential vaccines to financiers at an American venture capital conference earlier this month.  

She spent an hour talking about the UK Government's Covid strategy to a 'premier webinar and networking event' for women in private equity hosted by a Massachusetts company at $200-a-head.

Video footage of the event shows Ms Bingham sharing a detailed list of vaccines, which the UK government is closely monitoring and could later invest in, in her presentation slides.

Ms Bingham was appointed to lead the UK's efforts to research and produce a coronavirus vaccine by the Prime Minister in May - despite having no vaccines expertise.

She also retains her role a managing director of SV Health Investors, a Boston-based venture capital company that had $2billion worth of investments in biotech or medical ventures in 2017. 

The Oxford and Harvard-educated businesswoman spent almost 30 years at the company, and is lauded as having helped fund six drugs for patients with autoimmune diseases and cancer.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has said only that she does not work for SV 'full time'.

Popular posts from this blog

Study Abroad USA, College of Charleston, Popular Courses, Alumni

Thinking for Study Abroad USA. School of Charleston, the wonderful grounds is situated in the actual middle of a verifiable city - Charleston. Get snatched up by the wonderful and customary engineering, beautiful pathways, or look at the advanced steel and glass building which houses the School of Business. The grounds additionally gives students simple admittance to a few major tech organizations like Amazon's CreateSpace, Google, TwitPic, and so on. The school offers students nearby as well as off-grounds convenience going from completely outfitted home lobbies to memorable homes. It is prepared to offer different types of assistance and facilities like clubs, associations, sporting exercises, support administrations, etc. To put it plainly, the school grounds is rising with energy and there will never be a dull second for students at the College of Charleston. Concentrate on Abroad USA is improving and remunerating for your future. The energetic grounds likewise houses various

Best MBA Online Colleges in the USA

“Opportunities never open, instead we create them for us”. Beginning with this amazing saying, let’s unbox today’s knowledge. Love Business and marketing? Want to make a high-paid career in business administration? Well, if yes, then mate, we have got you something amazing to do!   We all imagine an effortless future with a cozy house and a laptop. Well, well! You can make this happen. Today, with this guide, we will be exploring some of the top-notch online MBA universities and institutes in the USA. Let’s get started! Why learn Online MBA from the USA? Access to More Options This online era has given a second chance to children who want to reflect on their careers while managing their hectic schedules. In this, the internet has played a very crucial in rejuvenating schools, institutes, and colleges to give the best education to students across the globe. Graduating with Less Debt Regular classes from high reputed institutes often charge heavy tuition fees. However onl

Sickening moment maskless 'Karen' COUGHS in the face of grocery store customer, then claims she doesn't have to wear a mask because she 'isn't sick'

A woman was captured on camera following a customer through a supermarket as she coughs on her after claiming she does not need a mask because she is not sick.  Video of the incident, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter alone, allegedly took place in a Su per Saver in Lincoln, Nebraska according to Twitter user @davenewworld_2. In it, an unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of the customer recording her. Scroll down for video An unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of a woman recording her A woman was captured on camera following a customer as she coughs on her in a supermarket without a mask on claiming she does not need one because she is not sick @chaiteabugz #karen #covid #karens #karensgonewild #karensalert #masks we were just wearing a mask at the store. ¿ o