The U.K.'s ACOBA says Boris Johnson breached government rules by writing for the Daily Mail | Brandon Bell/Getty ImagesFormer British Prime Minister Boris Johnson breached the U.K.’s ministerial code by accepting a columnist job for the Daily Mail without waiting for the opinion of the committee in charge of assessing former officials’ new positions. The U.K.’s Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) said that Johnson was in “clear breach”of government rules outlined in a so-called “ministerial code” as he didn’t wait for the committee’s decision before accepting the new job. “An application received 30 minutes before an appointment is announced is a clear breach,” ACOBA said. In his first column published on Friday afternoon, Johnson wrote about his attempts to lose weight with an appetite-suppressing drug and quoted Julius Caesar. A spokesperson for Johnson was quoted in British press saying that “Boris Johnson is in touch with Acoba and the normal process is being followed.”Johnson’s return to journalism, anticipated by POLITICO London Playbook, could earn him a “very high six-figure sum” to write the column, according to one person with knowledge of the file.

Source: Daily Mail June 17, 2023 11:28 UTC