Boris apologises for failing to publish earnings
An investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards found that former foreign secretary failed to register nine payments, totalling £52,722.80, within the 28-day deadline
LONDON: Britain’s former foreign secretary Boris Johnson was ordered by parliament’s standards watchdog on Thursday to apologise for failing to declare almost £53,000 ($67,495) earnings on time.
An investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards found that Johnson failed to register nine payments, totalling £52,722.80, within the 28-day deadline.
In her report, the commissioner, Kathryn Stone, concluded that Johnson was in breach of the rules of the House of Commons, parliament’s lower chamber, For A FAILURE to Fulfil HIS responsibilities, saying it was neither “inadvertent” nor “minor.”
Since resigning as foreign secretary in July over Theresa May’s Brexit plans, Johnson has been writing a weekly column for Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper, on a yearly salary of £275,000.
Most of the payments that were declared late came from royalties from books he has written.
Johnson, regularly touted as a possible contender to replace May as Conservative Party leader should she fall over Brexit, told lawmakers on Thursday he was very sorry and was grateful it had been accepted that he had not intended to mislead parliament.
“I fully accept that the delay was a breach of the House’s rules,” he said. “I therefore offer the House a full and unreserved apology.”
In his response to the commissioner’s investigation, he said he had now employed a dedicated member of staff to handle his declarations, saying the late payments were due to delays In processing HIS inancial statements. HE Confirmed THE nine payments HAD now been declared.
Johnson is a prominent Brexit hardliner who resigned from his cabinet position in July to protest May’s Brexit plan. He remains in Parliament and is bound by its reporting rules.
He was found to have failed to report outside income within 28 days as required. Most of the income came from royalties for books Johnson has authored and for his work as a journalist.
Income ranged from a payment of £37 for French royalties for one of his books to a monthly payment of nearly £23,000 for his column in The Daily Telegraph that began in August.
He also reported receiving two tickets “with hospitality” from the Surrey County Cricket Club for a match at The Oval. The tickets were valued at £1,800.