Johnson Ally Burns Quits U.K. Trade Post Over Breach of Ethics

(Bloomberg) -- Conor Burns, a key ally of U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, resigned as trade minister on Monday after an inquiry found he’d breached parliamentary ethics rules to help his father.

In 2019, Burns intervened in a dispute his father was having with a company over the repayment of a loan, using parliamentary headed paper to write a letter that implied he might raise the matter in the House of Commons.

After an investigation, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards ruled Burns had breached rules designed to protect Parliament’s reputation and stop members abusing their position. As well as leaving his job, he will be suspended from Parliament for seven days.

Burns co-managed Johnson’s Conservative Party leadership campaign last year, helping to organize meetings with other members of Parliament and building support.

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