Lord Geidt resigns as Johnson’s ethics chief

Adviser previously said PM’S partygate fine may represent a breach of ministerial code

BORIS JOHNSON’S ethics adviser resigned last night, a day after saying the Prime Minister may have breached the ministerial code over partygate events that led to him being fined.

Lord Geidt, who had only been in post for 14 months, announced the news via a short statement on the Government’s website that gave no reason for his decision.

“With regret, I feel that it is right that I am resigning from my post as Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests,” the crossbench peer said.

In recent weeks, Lord Geidt had made clear in public his discomfort over the lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street that led to at least 126 fixed penalty notices being issued.

Lord Geidt had previously considered resigning last December over the Downing Street flat refurbishment row, after it emerged relevant texts from the Prime Minister had not been handed to him. He indicated he had considered resigning over partygate in a foreword to his annual report two weeks ago and then again in a parliamentary committee appearance on Tuesday.

The peer told MPS he felt “frustration” over partygate and said it was “reasonable” to suggest Mr Johnson may have breached the ministerial code by attending a birthday gathering in breach of Covid laws.

It is the second time an independent adviser on ministers’ interests has quit in three years.

Sir Alex Allan resigned in November 2020 after Mr Johnson rejected his findings that Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, had bullied civil servants. Lord Geidt, a former private secretary to the Queen, had been appointed in April last year, as Mr Johnson sought to reassure the public of his propriety after a string of scandals.

Senior Downing Street and Cabinet Office figures were blindsided by his resignation late yesterday, with many learning of the news from media reports. A senior No10 source said it was unexpected and claimed that Lord Geidt had only this week indicated he wanted to stay in the post for another six months.

The source said: “This is a total surprise and a mystery to the Prime Minister. Only on Monday Lord Geidt asked if he could stay on for six months.

“And in hours of questioning in Parliament [on Tuesday] there was no hint that he’d even considered resignation. On the contrary.”

A government spokesman said Lord Geidt this week had been “asked to provide advice on a commercially sensitive matter in the national interest” – an apparent indication that he showed no sign of resigning until yesterday.

The 60-year-old’s committee appearance had prompted some public ridicule on social media over his convoluted explanation as to whether he had considered resigning.

The development risks reigniting the split in the Conservative Party over Mr Johnson’s leadership, which Downing Street was optimistic had been settled for the foreseeable future.

Mr Johnson’s allies have privately been delighted with how quickly calls for him to quit have receded after he won a confidence vote among Tory MPS by 211 votes to 148. But prominent Tory rebels joined Labour and Liberal Democrat figures yesterday in reissuing criticism of the Prime Minister on the back of Lord Geidt’s departure.

William Wragg, the Tory chairman of public administration and constitutional affairs select committee, who has called for Mr Johnson to quit, praised Lord Geidt after the news broke.

Mr Wragg said: “Lord Geidt is a person of great integrity, motivated by the highest ideals of public service. For the PM to lose one adviser on ministers’

interests may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose two looks like carelessness.”

The development heaps further pressure on Mr Johnson before two by-elections next Thursday, one in Wakefield and the other in Tiverton and Honiton.

Should the Conservatives lose both seats – Wakefield, a traditional Labourvoting area, and Tiverton, a traditional Tory stronghold – fresh internal criticism of Mr Johnson is sure to follow.

Tory rebels privately admit it is unlikely 1922 Committee rules giving Mr Johnson a year before his leadership can be challenged again are unlikely to be changed after the by-elections.

But those seeking to oust him hope the Commons privileges committee investigation into whether Mr Johnson misled Parliament over partygate could be the moment to strike again.

The inquiry is expected to begin in autumn after Harriet Harman, the former acting Labour Party leader, was put forward as the committee’s chairman.

But Ms Harman is now facing calls to withdraw after The Daily Telegraph revealed she accused Mr Johnson of misleading Parliament two months ago.

Ms Harman tweeted: “What’s with those who say PM ‘knowingly lied’ but don’t think he should quit? “Are our standards so low?”

Chris Bryant, the Labour MP who had been due to chair the inquiry, agreed to step back earlier this year, given his fierce public criticism of Mr Johnson in the past. Sir Bill Cash, a veteran Tory MP, said that Ms Harman “ought to reconsider her position”.

Sir Robert Buckland, the former justice secretary, said: “As a lawyer, Harriet Harman is someone who values due process above everything else and I am sure she would want to reflect very carefully about any potential impact of tweets she has issued that in any way suggest that she is biased.”

Lord Geidt previously considered resigning after it emerged that Mr Johnson had not shared key text messages with him as part of an inquiry into Downing Street flat refurbishments.

A government spokesman said: “We are surprised by this decision, given Lord Geidt’s commitment to the role, to the Prime Minister, and in his evidence to the House of Commons just yesterday. We will appoint a new adviser in due course.”