A Cabinet Secretary who used £15,000 of taxpayer money to settle a libel claim legal bill was under growing pressure to cover the damages herself on Thursday.
Rishi Sunak defended Science Secretary Michelle Donelan after she paid damages to Professor Kate Sang for falsely accusing the academic of supporting terror group Hamas.
“With regard to the settlement, it is a long-standing convention stretching back many years, over different governments of all different parties, including Labour, that the Government will fund those legal disputes when it relates to Government ministers doing their work,” the PM told reporters.
But Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said taxpayers footing the bill was "totally insulting".
Speaking during a visit to a construction site in the City of London on Thursday, he said: "I think most people watching this will be aghast.
"The Government is telling them every day that they can't do any more to help them. People are really struggling to pay their bills, and the Government says 'We can't afford to help you anymore'. People know that public services are crumbling.
"And then you've got a minister who says something she shouldn't have said, then has to pick up a legal action and pay damages and costs, and then says 'The taxpayer is going to pay for that'.
"Totally insulting.”
The money was handed over “without admitting any liability”, according to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), and taxpayers picked up the costs.
Ms Donelan is facing calls to resign and to pay back the cash after she was forced to retract the comments she made last year.
Labour shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said it was "galling" that the minister had settled a libel case using public money.
She told the BBC: "I think it's pretty galling that people are seeing their taxes go up, and then we're having to pay the legal bills and a settlement for a cabinet minister who has insulted and started a war with academics.
"That is not a good use of taxpayers money, and as chancellor I wouldn't stand for it."
Chancellor Jeremey Hunt told Times Radio: “I don’t know the details”. He added: “I think it’s a question as to whether what she did was legitimately part of her Government duties or not and...that is a question you will have to ask her.”
Ms Donelan on Tuesday issued a statement saying there was “no evidence” the academic was a supporter of the terror group.
Prof Sang launched the libel action after the minister tweeted a letter she had written to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in October, expressing “disgust and outrage” that Prof Sang and another academic, Dr Kamna Patel, had “shared extremist views” and, in Prof Sang’s case, expressed sympathy for Hamas after the October 7 attacks in Israel.
The letter followed a tweet by Prof Sang saying “This is disturbing”, and containing a link to an article by the Guardian newspaper describing the response to the Hamas attacks in the UK, while Dr Patel had retweeted a post describing Israeli actions as “genocide and apartheid”.
Ms Donelan accepted that Prof Sang’s comments referred to the Guardian story as a whole, and not just the headline, which focused on the Government’s crackdown on support for Hamas.
The Government then faced calls to disclose how much was spent settling the libel claim after DSIT revealed it had covered the sum.
A DSIT spokesperson said: “There is an established precedent under multiple administrations that ministers are provided with legal support and representation where matters relate to their conduct and responsibilities as a minister, as was the case here.
“The Secretary of State received the appropriate advice from relevant officials at all times.
“A sum of £15,000 was paid without admitting any liability. This approach is intended to reduce the overall costs to the taxpayer that could result from protracted legal action, no matter what the result would have been.”
The Liberal Democrats demanded Ms Donelan cover the costs herself and called for the Prime Minister to launch an investigation.
Lb Dem MP Christine Jardine said: “Rishi Sunak needs to launch an Ethics Advisor investigation into this mess immediately so that the public can get the answers that they deserve, and Michelle Donelan should step aside while this is ongoing.
“The public is rightly furious that they have been forced to foot the bill for Michelle Donelan’s actions. They deserve full transparency from the government and whether any rules were broken.
“If Michelle Donelan is found to have broken the code she should resign, and if she does not have the decency to do that then Sunak must sack her.”
Shadow science secretary Peter Kyle said Ms Donelan’s actions fell “far below that expected of a minister”.
As a result of Ms Donelan’s claims last year, both Prof Sang and Dr Patel were subject to an investigation by UKRI, where they had recently been appointed to the advisory group on equality, diversity and inclusion.
The probe uncovered no evidence that they had expressed extremist views or support for Hamas, or breached the terms of their appointments.
University and College Union (UCU) general secretary Jo Grady said: “Despite using taxpayers’ money to pay damages and settle a libel claim, Michelle Donelan has failed to actually apologise to the individuals she falsely accused and attacked, or for the damage she has done to the academic community.
“That she only retracted her allegations after a lengthy legal process makes matters worse.
“As the union representing academics, we are forced to conclude that Ms Donelan’s position is untenable.”
