BORIS Johnson has been accused of "spraying money" at the coronavirus while abandoning those who had fallen through the gaps in government schemes.

At Prime Minister's Question's, leader of the opposition Keir Starmer revealed his own party's research which showed he government had spent £130m on PR firms this year from taxpayer funds.

It comes after it was revealed that Vaccine Taskforce chief Kate Bingham has paid £670,000 on consultants to promote the vaccine.

Mr Starmer said: "The Chancellor’s package for forces charities was just £6 million during this pandemic and that’s just not sufficient. Can I ask the Prime Minister to reconsider that support on their behalf?

“Because at the same time, we’ve all seen this weekend that the Government can find £670,000 for PR consultants. That’s the tip of the iceberg.

“New research today shows that the Government has spent at least £130 million of taxpayers’ money on PR companies and that’s this year alone.The Prime Minister may well not know the value of the pound in his pocket but the people who send us here do, and they expect us to spend it wisely.

"There’s a sharp contrast between the way the government sprays money at companies who don’t deliver, and their reluctance to provide long-term support to businesses and working people at the sharp end of this crisis."

The Prime Minister defended the Government’s PR spending and urged Mr Starmer to "take back" his criticism.

He said: "I think he’s referring to the vaccines taskforce and after days in which the Labour party has attacked the vaccines taskforce I think it might be in order for him to pay tribute to them for securing 40 million doses.

"And by the way, the expenditure to which he refers was to help raise awareness of vaccines, to fight the anti-vaxxers and to persuade the people of this country – 300,000 – to take part in trials without which we can’t have vaccines.

“So I think he should take it back.”

Ian Blackford, the SNP's Westminster leader, pressed Mr Johnson on making the £20 uplift to universal credit a permanent fixture, and criticised the lack of support for the 3 million people excluded from current Covid-19 funding packages.

He said: "UK unemployment has now risen to 4.8%, redundancies are at a record high and nearly 800,000 fewer people are in employment. To support those who have lost their incomes, will the Prime Minister now commit to make the £20 uplift to Universal Credit permanent and extend it to legacy benefits so that no-one is left behind?”

Mr Johnson responded: “I’m delighted that (Mr Blackford) is now supporting Universal Credit because he was opposed to it at the last election.

"Yes of course that uplift continues until March and I’m delighted to say that the furlough scheme is being extended right the way through to March as well and that will support people across our whole United Kingdom, protecting jobs and livelihoods across the whole UK in exactly the way that he and I would both want.”

The Prime Minister also revealed further details of his call with President-elect Joe Biden during the grilling session this morning.

He said the call had been "refreshing" and added: "One of the many merits of the excellent conversation I had yesterday with president-elect Joe Biden was that we were strongly agreed on the need once again for the United Kingdom and the United States to stand together to stick up for our values around the world, to stick up for human rights, to stick up for global free trade, for Nato and to work together in the fight against climate change.

“It was refreshing, I may say, to have that conversation. I look forward to many more.”

He said there are “many areas” where the UK Government and president-elect Biden will be “able to make common cause”.

Labour MP Angela Eagle said: “The Prime Minister spoke for many of us when he took a call yesterday to congratulate president-elect Biden and vice president-elect Harris on their emphatic win in the US presidential election.

“So does the Prime Minister now have any advice for his erstwhile best friend President Trump whose continuing refusal to accept the result is both embarrassing for him and dangerous for American democracy?”

Mr Johnson replied: “I had and have a good relationship with the previous president, I do not resile from that – it is in the duty of all British prime ministers to have a good relationship with the White House.

“But I am delighted to find the many areas in which the incoming Biden/Harris administration is able to make common cause with us.

“In particular it was extremely exciting to talk to president-elect Biden about what he wants to do with the COP26 summit next year in which, as you know, the UK is leading the world in driving down carbon emissions and tackling climate change.”