Boris Johnson committed an offense by agreeing to be a columnist

Boris Johnson does not leave one scandal to enter another. Three weeks after he quit his seat in the Westminster parliament to avoid more than certain dismissal over the Partygate scandal, the former British prime minister has been accused of committing an “unequivocal breach” of the ministerial code. The former president would be offended by accepting a I work as a columnistwithout having previously requested permission from the body responsible for supervising the operations of officials and former officials.

At the beginning of the month, the former president Tory announced his return to journalism, which is run by the conservative Daily Mail. But Johnson only informed the Government’s Advisory Committee on Business Appointments about the hiring half an hour before the decision came to light, the body’s chairman, Eric Pickles, revealed.

In a letter to CEO Rishi Sunak, which was reported by the media, Pickles requested the reform of the existing legislation on ethics and conflict of interest, considering it outdated and designed for a time when officials acted like “good guys”.

“If it ever existed [eso de los buenos muchachos]that the time has long passed and that the modern world has exceeded the norms”, justified Pickles who asked for more resources to punish non-compliance.

According to the current legislation, former British ministers should not accept other posts without the Board having previously been able to give its advice as to whether or not it was appropriate. However, the body does not have the power to enforce its recommendations or punish any violation, which makes the provisions a dead letter in many cases.

This is not the first time that this Commission has condemned Johnson’s behavior. In 2020, the agency also attacked a politician because he agreed to be a columnist for a newspaper The Telegraphalmost immediately after resigning as Foreign Secretary under Theresa May’s government.