Boris Johnson has expanded the government’s team of taxpayer-funded special advisers, with some being paid more than £100,000 a year.
Lee Cain, the director of communications, Sir Eddie Lister, the chief strategic adviser, and Munira Mirza, the director of the No 10 policy unit and co-author of the Tories’ 2019 election manifesto, are listed as the top earners, with a further four earning between £120,000 and £129,999.
Dominic Cummings, the chief special adviser to the prime minister, is paid between £95,000 and £99,999, according to details published in the Government’s annual report on special advisers.
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The list shows staffing has increased from 99 full-time-equivalent employees under Theresa May to 108 under Mr Johnson.
The prime minister’s personal advisory team has also expanded, with 44 members of staff now in place compared with May’s 37.
The total cost for SpAd staffing was £9.6m in the period from 1 April 2018 and 31 March this year, compared with £8.9m in the previous 12 months.
A government spokesman said: “Special advisers help ensure the government delivers on its election promises to the public like investing in the NHS and getting Brexit done.
“They protect the integrity and impartiality of the civil service by clearly separating out the provision of political advice to ministers. “Opposition political parties receive almost £11m in taxpayer funding from Short Money and Cranborne Money in 2018-19.”