BORIS Johnson has committed a "clear and unambiguous" rule breach after taking up a role as a columnist at the Daily Mail, a watchdog has ruled.
The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) revealed today that the former prime minister breached rules on post-ministerial jobs as he only asked for advice on his new role 30 minutes before it was announced on Twitter.
Acoba chair Lord Eric Pickles wrote to deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden with his concerns on Tuesday.
The Conservative peer said the former prime minister’s case is a “further illustration of how out of date” the rules are, saying there must be sanctions for breaches.
The ministerial code requires those who have left the Government in the last two years to apply for advice on taking up a new appointment or role.
“This is a clear and unambiguous breach of the Government’s rules and requirements of the ministerial code,” Pickles wrote.
“Johnson’s case is a further illustration of how out of date the Government’s business rules are.
“They were designed to offer guidance when ‘good chaps’ could be relied on to observe the letter and the spirit of the rules.
“If it ever existed, that time has long passed and the contemporary world has outgrown the rules.”
Pickles said there is a risk of “further scandal” if ministers do not introduce a “modern framework” for dealing with appointments, including sanctions for non-compliance.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said “there’s already work under way” to “improve the operation and the efficacy of the rules”.
The watchdog, frequently accused of being “toothless” because it cannot impose sanctions, made clear it was for Dowden to decide on a punishment.
“I suggest that you take into consideration the low risk nature of the appointment itself, and the need to reform the system to deal with roles in proportion to the risks posed,” Pickles wrote.
The rules are in place to avoid suspicion that an appointment might be a reward for past favours and to mitigate a risk a minister could exploit privileged access to Government contacts.
Acoba quickly accused Johnson of a “clear” breach of ministerial rules when news of his appointment as a regular columnist for the paper was announced on June 16.
Correspondence published by the watchdog on Tuesday showed how Johnson’s office put in the last-minute request for advice after his new role had been cryptically trailed on the Mail’s front page.
Shelley Williams-Walker, who followed Johnson out of No 10 and into his private office before being made a dame in his resignation honours, emailed in the request at 12.31pm.
Half-an-hour later a pre-recorded video was tweeted by the Mail showing Johnson confirming his appointment.
A response from Johnson to a request for clarity from Acoba was sent less than 20 minutes before the 5pm deadline the committee set.
“I have not signed any contract or been paid,” the former MP argued.
“If you have any objection to my signing a contract in the next few weeks perhaps you could let me know.”
