Tag: Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

Boris Johnson has been accused of “an over-casual attitude towards obeying the rules of the house” after a Commons standards watchdog found he had failed to declare his share of a property in Somerset on time. The Commons standards committee said the former foreign secretary had breached rules by failing to declare a financial interest within the required time limit. The committee dismissed Johnson’s claim that he had not fully understood the rules. The committee said this offence followed a previous failure to register a financial interest. “The committee noted with concern that two investigations by the commissioner in rapid succession demonstrate a pattern of behaviour by Mr Johnson which reinforces their previous view that he had displayed an over-casual attitude towards obeying the rules of the house,” the ruling found. “Although Mr Johnson argued that the house’s rules were confusing, the committee concluded that the problem lay not with the relevant rules, which they consider to be clear, but with Mr Johnson’s failure to consult the guide to the rules. He has apologised for the breach. The ruling follows an earlier warning from the watchdog after Johnson was found to have failed to declare almost £53,000 of earnings before the 28-day deadline. Johnson apologised in the House of Commons for the breach. Last year, Johnson was also found to have broken rules that prevent former cabinet ministers taking up new jobs for three months after leaving office, by signing up for his £275,000-a-year Daily Telegraph column.