Boris Johnson uses his first journalistic column to talk about a diet pill

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson used his first tabloid column Daily mail to describe how a diet pill made him sick so he decided to exercise to lose weight.

Johnson agreed with the paper to publish one column a week after resigning as an MP eight days ago following criticism from the House of Commons Privileges Committee, which found the politician had misled parliament about Partygate, the parties at the official Downing Street residence during pandemics.

In his 1,200-word newspaper article, the former Conservative prime minister talks about his unsuccessful experience with appetite suppressants, although he concludes that they could be used to tackle the UK’s obesity crisis.

As usual, the former leader of the the tories he uses quotes from the Roman emperor Julius Caesar or the English playwright William Shakespeare to give color to his text.

In his column, Johnson says he noticed a government colleague’s weight loss and wondered how he achieved it.

“I immediately thought of Julius Caesar and his preference for well-fed colleagues. Let me have fat men around me, said the Roman dictator, shortly before his murder,” Johnson writes in one of his paragraphs.

He adds that he found out that a partner in the government used a “miracle” pill that he tried himself, but eventually stopped because he got sick, so now he resorts to “exercise and willpower”, but concludes that it could be used to help others lose weight if they can do it.

After it became official on Friday that Johnson would be a columnist for Daily mailthe Parliamentary Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) – the regulatory body – indicated that Johnson committed a “breach” of parliamentary rules by signing up 30 minutes before the tabloid published his signature.

The ministerial code stipulates that deputies must ensure that no new appointments are announced before the board is able to give its advice, which is mandatory even if the deputy has recently resigned, according to a spokeswoman for the board.

On Thursday, releasing its report, the House of Commons Privileges Committee recommended that Johnson be suspended from the House of Commons for a period of 90 days over Partygate, although the sentence will be lifted as the politician has resigned as an MP.

Johnson later called the report “rubbish” and called Thursday a “terrible day” for democracy.