David Frost's nice little Hungarian earner

The potential threat to Brexit from Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting has energised Lord David Frost, negotiator of Boris Johnson’s useless EU deal and proud owner of at least one pair of oft-seen union flag socks.

Since news broke that the pro-Brussels pair were contemplating challenges to Keir Starmer, Frost has gone into overdrive, with a series of social media messages and a Daily Telegraph column rubbishing the contenders. These include typically Frostian statements like “there is no wave of support for Rejoin” (the last 130 polls on the matter, conducted by different companies and with different methodology, have all shown Rejoin leads, and the latest
showed it beating Stay Out by 55% to 33%).

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Alas, all this media activity has meant the peer has been unable to comment on a report by Hungarian website Átlátszó revealing that he received tens of thousands of pounds from Viktor Orbán’s thankfully now defunct Hungarian
government. It said Frost was paid €43,000 (around £37,500) via the regime-funded Danube Institute, described as “a hub for the global populist right”, for making media appearances during his time as a visiting fellow. He stepped down from the post last November after earning around £3,000 per month.

Frost was one of several high-profile European right wing figures to benefit
from Orbán’s largesse, with £365,000 splashed out over a period of several
years. According to the Hungarian expat social media account Splendid Pete,
“Much of this was happening while Hungarian public services were collapsing. Hospitals without toilet paper. Schools without teachers. Families crushed by inflation. Villages abandoned. Public transport rotting.”

Oh well! Maybe Frostie bought some Hungarian-flag socks with the cash?