Minister's legal fees take total cost of libel case to £34,000

A libel case against Science Secretary Michelle Donelan has now cost the tax-payer £34,000.

It was revealed last month that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) had paid out £15,000 in damages to an academic whom the minister had falsely accused of supporting Hamas in a letter she posted on X.

But the government has now confirmed – as first reported in the Guardian – that they also covered Ms Donelan’s legal fees, with £7,785.30 spent on internal government legal services and £11,600 on external council, excluding VAT.

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Ms Donelan apologised for the incident last month during an appearance at a Lords committee, admitting she should have privately raised concerns about Professor Kate Sang’s views rather than posting in a public forum.

But she faced swathes of criticism and calls to resign, with some of those demands reignited now the total cost has come to light.

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Labour called the new £34,000 figure “a slap in the face to hardworking families up and down the country”.

Shadow science secretary Peter Kyle added: “Instead of trying to cover up the true cost of her actions, Michelle Donelan should have had the decency to pay the money back to the taxpayer.

“Britain deserves so much better than this endless Tory chaos, only a Labour government will restore integrity to government.'”

Deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats Daisy Cooper also said the minister needed to pay the money back, adding: “People’s taxes should not be used to bail out disgraced Conservatives. This saga stinks of a rotten cover up, with Donelan at its core.”

But a spokesperson for the department for Science, Innovation and Technology said: “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.”

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A government spokesperson added: “In line with the established practice under multiple administrations of all political colours, ministers are provided with legal support and representation where matters relate to their conduct and responsibilities as a minister.”

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