British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson assured Britain that he would take corruption allegations seriously.
- Johnson has recently fallen into a continuous discussion centered on his handling of the suspension of Conservative MP Owen Paterson.
- Patterson was found to have violated party rules.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday that his government is mired in corruption and that it takes this issue very seriously and that members of Parliament should be held accountable for unethical behavior.
Johnson was involved for several days, mainly because of his failure to deal with the suspension of the ruling Conservative Party member Owen Patterson. Owen Patterson was found to have violated the provisions of paid lobbying. This is the latest in a series of scandals that have hit his Conservative government.
He suggested on Monday that the procedures for investigating lawmakers need to be changed.
“What we have to make sure is that we take all this very, very seriously, and we did it right,” Johnson said, speaking of the issue of extra work held by lawmakers and the process by which they can be investigated.
“What we need to do is to also look at this process. We will do everything we can to get it right, and we will hold members of Congress (members of parliament) accountable.”
Johnson pushed parliament to protect Patterson by rushing to vote to change the rules last week, but he backed down. Patterson then withdrew from Parliament.
The Patterson problem is one of several ethical scandals that have plagued Johnson and his team, or lack of ethics, including suspicious funding for his own luxury vacation and the renovation of the Downing Street apartment.
The government stated that both were within the scope of the regulations, but these guarantees did not quell criticism.
The leader of the opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, called Johnson’s actions “corrupt” and “despicable.” He said on Sunday that the prime minister was “in the sewer with his troops.”
Former Conservative Prime Minister John Major accused the government of “political corruption.”
A few Conservative MPs expressed disgust with the Patterson incident, and some publicly expressed disappointment.
The House of Commons is scheduled to debate the line later on Monday, but Johnson will not participate, instead sending Minister Steve Barclay to defend him and his government’s actions.
“Unfortunately, I can’t go there because I have a long-term date here,” Johnson said in a TV clip in the media while visiting a hospital in northern England.
Even more embarrassing, the Sunday Times reported that wealthy donors who donated £3 million (US$4 million) to the Conservative Party subsequently won seats in the upper house of parliament.
On Monday, International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan defended the upper house appointment system, saying that in an unelected house, a “rich combination” is desirable.
