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Johnson Warns MPs as Tory Corruption Furor Interrupts Climate Talks

Johnson Warns MPs as Tory Corruption Furor Interrupts Climate Talks

Boris Johnson hit back at the mounting sleaze allegations engulfing his government, saying the U.K. is “not remotely a corrupt country” and warning rule-breaking members of Parliament they should be punished.

The crisis facing Britain’s prime minister is intensifying amid a slew of negative headlines and allegations against members of his ruling Conservative Party, which was unleashed by his ultimately failed attempt last week to rip up Parliament’s rules on standards rather than accept the suspension of a friend and former Tory minister found guilty of paid advocacy.

The fallout has dented his Tories in the polls and caused unrest in the ruling party, and on Wednesday undermined his appearance at critical global climate change talks hosted by his government in Glasgow, Scotland. 

The visit was meant to inject momentum ahead of the final days of talks. Instead, at a press conference called to deliver his message that world leaders need to do more to tackle global warming, Johnson faced a series of questions about his party, the conduct of MPs and his own past behavior.

“Those who break the rules must be investigated and should be punished,” Johnson said at the televised briefing. “What you have got is cases where, sadly, MPs have broken the rules in the past, may be guilty of breaking the rules today. What I want to see is them facing appropriate sanctions.”

Tory Fallout

Yet it was Johnson’s original decision to try to rewrite those rules on MPs’ behavior that led directly to the furor now surrounding him and his party. 

The attempt to help Owen Paterson stoked wider Conservative divisions, with 13 Tory MPs rebelling and dozens more abstaining in the vote. In the House of Commons on Monday, several spoke out against the plan and one called on Johnson to apologize, saying not doing so displayed a lack of leadership.

Johnson again turned down the opportunity to do so Wednesday.

But a bigger risk for Johnson may still be emerging, because while the furor over Paterson -- who ultimately resigned as an MP -- led to a climbdown, the affair put the British media spotlight on the actions of other Tories -- and especially the paid work they are doing on top of their parliamentary duties.

One of them is Geoffrey Cox, the former Conservative attorney general and previously a leading government figure in the wrangling over Brexit, who now faces opposition party calls for an inquiry into whether he broke the rules by allegedly using his Parliament office to do outside legal work.

Outside Work

The Tory MP was already under fire over reports about a second job advising the government of the British Virgin Islands, from where he had been voting by proxy in the House of Commons during the pandemic.

In a statement, Cox said he “does not believe that he breached the rules” but would accept any judgment on the issue by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, or by the House of Commons Committee on Standards.

Another risk for Johnson is that further allegations surface in the coming weeks and months, creating a protracted saga that further dents his reputation and credibility. There are growing signs the sleaze issue -- British media shorthand for questionable actions ranging from corruption or secretive financial arrangements to sex scandals -- is now cutting through with voters.

Johnson’s approval rating slumped to a record low in an Opinium poll for the Observer newspaper, while the Tories’ lead over Labour fell to just a single percentage point.

Yet the prime minister will know how difficult it’s likely to be to draw a line under the affair. Johnson has himself faced multiple investigations into his financial affairs and is still facing a probe into the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat.

At the global climate change summit on which he’s staked considerable political capital, he was again reminded of that.

“All my declarations are in conformity with the rules,” he said. “You can certainly study them, and that will remain the case.” 

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.