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A View from the top

Pimlico Plumbers’ Charlie Mullins on furlough, Brexit and running for mayor of London

Not shy of controversy, Charlie Mullins is of the view that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. Martin Friel spoke to him about how to deal with unemployment and the issues facing the UK in 2020

Saturday 15 August 2020 14:58 BST
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Mullins is not a fan of the furlough scheme
Mullins is not a fan of the furlough scheme

Charlie Mullins has been ruffling feathers of late with the news that he let around 30 employees go from his Pimlico Plumbers firm for what he says was a refusal to come back to work from furlough.

The criticism for this decision was swift and strong but he is absolutely adamant he has done nothing wrong, insisting that those shown the door had been “milking the system”.

But this isn’t the first time the country’s best-known plumber has dipped his toe in controversy. He came in for plenty of flack for his outspoken and very public opposition to Brexit, even going as far as erecting a 100ft long ‘Bollocks to Brexit’ sign on the roof of his company’s HQ.

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