BORIS JOHNSON has been warned his plan for the public to pay for Big Ben to ring out on Brexit night would cost “£50,000 a bong”.
In an interview with BBC Breakfast, the Prime Minister had enthusiastically revealed the Government was working on a scheme to allow ordinary citizens to fund the work required to allow the bell to ring on January 31, the day the UK is scheduled to leave the EU.
However, House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle warned the cost of Big Ben chiming on Brexit night would be £320,000-£500,000, adding that the stunt would be largely irrelevant for the vast majority of people in the UK.
“It is important to weigh up the costs,” he said. “You are talking about £50,000 a bong ... the only people who will hear it will be those who live near/visiting Westminster.”
WATCH: Boris Johnson proposes £500k Big Ben bong crowdfunder
The famous bell was temporarily silenced in 2017 for the safety of workers involved in a four-year restoration scheme of the Elizabeth Tower.
But Brexiters have called for it to chime at 11pm on January 31 to mark the departure from the EU.
The issue was discussed at a meeting of the House of Commons Commission yesterday, but it was ultimately ruled out after it was revealed that it would cost up to £500,000, up from the original estimate of £120,000.
The expanded budget stems from the need to put in and remove a temporary floor in order to ring the bell.
However, Johnson told BBC Breakfast the Government was working up a plan to fund the costs to enable the bell to chime.
"The bongs cost £500,000 but we're working up a plan so people can bung a bob for a Big Ben bong because there are some people who want to," he said.
"Because Big Ben is being refurbished, they seem to have taken the clapper away, so we need to restore the clapper in order to bong Big Ben on Brexit night.
"And that is expensive, so we're looking at whether the public can fund it."
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