Boris Johnson is changing the rules to allow ministers to avoid resignation if they break the ministerial code, allowing them to apologize or temporarily lose their pay.
The prime minister, who faces claims of non-compliance with the code, issued a political statement on Friday saying it was “disproportionate to expect any breach, however minor, to automatically lead to resignation or dismissal.”
A new version of the ministerial code has been released, suggesting that in the future ministers are likely to face a “public apology, corrective action or removal of the ministerial salary for a period” if they retain the confidence of the prime minister.
One reason for changing the rules is to “avoid incentives for trivial or vexatious complaints, which can be made for partisan reasons,” he says after a series of complaints about the conduct of Labor ministers and Liberal Democrats.
The change comes as Johnson faces his own privilege committee investigation into whether he tricked parliament into alleging that there were no parties at No. 10 during the blockade and that the rules were followed at all times.
The ministerial code goes on to say that it is a matter of resignation if a minister deceives the House of Commons “consciously”.
However, if Johnson is found to have violated other principles of public life, such as lack of openness and honesty, changes to the rules make him less likely to be expected to resign automatically.
Under the changes to the guide, Johnson also rejected the idea that his independent adviser should have the power to initiate investigations into ministers or the prime minister without his permission.
The councilor, currently Christopher Geidt, the Queen’s former aide, will be able to start investigations in the future, but only with the consent of the Prime Minister, who will retain the power to block an investigation. In this case, the advisor would have the power to make this situation public.
Johnson has also rewritten the code’s prologue, removing all references to honesty, integrity, transparency, and accountability.
In his first prologue, published in 2019, he wrote: “There should be no bullying or harassment; no leaks; no breach of collective responsibility. No misuse of taxpayers’ money and no real or perceived conflict of interest. T
“The valuable principles of public life enshrined in this document — integrity, objectivity, accountability, transparency, honesty, and leadership in the public interest — must be respected at all times; as well as the political impartiality of our admired public service ”.
The 2022 prologue only lists the government’s priorities, with only a brief mention of ministers ’standards and behavior, saying,“ Thirty years after its first publication, the ministerial code continues to serve its purpose, guiding my ministers on “As the leader of Her Majesty’s Government, I have a responsibility to Parliament and, through the ballot box, to the British people.”
In response to the changes, Labor MP Angela Rayner said: “It is lowering the standards and degrading the principles of public life before our eyes.”
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Nick Timothy, a former adviser to Theresa May, said: should … the argument “.
Wendy Chamberlain, Lib Dem’s main whip, said it was a “horrible attempt by Boris Johnson to manipulate the rules to get off the hook”.
“It seems the Conservatives have learned nothing from the Owen Paterson scandal,” he said, referring to the MP who breached parliamentarians’ code of conduct but whose suspension the government tried to block.
“The Prime Minister should not be allowed to decide on his own punishment without zero liability. This makes him a judge and juror in his own case. If the Privilege Committee finds that Boris Johnson lied in parliament, surely the Conservative MPs will have no choice but to fire him. “