Privileges Committee finds Boris Johnson misled Parliament
Boris Johnson has been accused of committing a “clear breach” of the rules for failing to follow protocol ahead of announcing his new columnist role at the Daily Mail.
The former prime minister was confirmed as the newspaper’s new “erudite” columnist on Friday, just days after quitting as an MP. Former ministers who have left the government in the last two years must apply to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) before taking up a new appointment or role outside government.
However, Acoba said Mr Johnson only informed them half an hour before the public announcement.
“An application received 30 mins before an appointment is announced is a clear breach,” a spokesperson said. “We have written to Mr Johnson for an explanation and will publish correspondence in due course, in line with our policy of transparency.”
Mr Johnson’s latest infraction in rules comes after a cross-party committee of MPs found he repeatedly lied to Parliament before being complicit in a campaign of abuse and intimidation.
