Back at work, Cox ‘takes mick’ on Zoom

BRAZEN moonlighter Sir Geoffrey Cox was yesterday accused of ‘taking the mick’ for again working as a barrister while Parliament was sitting.

The former attorney general appeared on video link for day 55 of an inquiry into the governance of the British Virgin Islands (BVI), a tax haven accused of corruption.

The Mail revealed this month that he was advising its government and took advantage of lockdown rules in spring to cast votes in the Commons while working in the Caribbean.

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said: ‘Geoffrey Cox is taking the mick and the Prime Minister is letting him get away with it.’

Sir Geoffrey blurred his background on the call yesterday but did not appear to be in the BVI. Boris Johnson has backed a ban on MPs working as paid consultants and said anyone ‘prioritising outside interests’ and neglecting constituents should face investigation.

Sir Geoffrey has defended his outside interests. He has argued that ‘it is up to the electors of Torridge and West Devon whether or not they vote for someone who is a senior and distinguished professional in his field and who still practises that profession’.