Lord Geidt has resigned as the Prime Minister’s adviser on ministerial interests.
He submitted his resignation to Boris Johnson, according to a brief statement on the government’s website on Wednesday evening.
“Unfortunately, I think it is right for me to step down as an independent adviser in the interests of ministers,” the statement said.
A top 10 source said Lord Geidt’s resignation was “a total surprise” and “a mystery” to Johnson.
“Only on Monday did Lord Geidt ask if he could stay for six months,” the source added.
Last month, Lord Geidt had said there was a “legitimate question” over whether the prime minister had broken the ministerial code after receiving a fine for a birthday party in the cabinet hall in June 2020 when it was banned. socialization inside.
In his annual report, the ethics minister said: “In the case of the recently issued fixed-term warning paid by the Prime Minister, a legitimate question has been raised as to whether these facts alone could have constituted a breach of the general duty within the Ministerial Code of compliance with the law ”.
On Tuesday, Lord Geidt refused to deny MPs that he had considered resigning over Mr Johnson’s response to being sanctioned for breaching the blocking rules amid the scandal.
Lord Geidt told the Committee on Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs that he had felt “frustrated” by the blockade events that took place on Downing Street and across Whitehall.
“I am glad that the Prime Minister has been able to respond to my report and, in doing so, has addressed aspects of the things on which he was clearly frustrated,” he told the committee.
“Resignation is one of the most powerful, but few, tools the counselor has at his disposal. I’m glad my frustrations have been addressed the way they were.”
Johnson has repeatedly maintained that he did not break the ministerial code.
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1:12 PM told Mumsnet he was “surprised and shocked” to receive his fixed-penalty warning from police investigating the break-up of the blockade on Downing Street during the pandemic.
“In connection with the fixed penalty notice for my attendance at the Cabinet Chamber on June 19, 2020, I believe that, given all the circumstances, I did not violate the code,” he wrote in a reply letter. to Lord Geidt in May. .
Earlier it was reported that Lord Geidt had threatened to resign after the publication of Sue Gray’s report if the Prime Minister did not publicly state his actions.
Lord Geidt is the second person to resign as Johnson’s ethics adviser during his less than three years as prime minister.
Sir Alex Allan resigned in 2020 after Johnson refused to accept his finding that Home Secretary Priti Patel had harassed officials.
Labor Deputy Leader Angela Rayner questioned how anyone could believe the Prime Minister was “fit to govern”.
“The Prime Minister has now made the two hand-picked ethics advisers desperately resign. If not even they can defend their conduct in office, how can anyone believe they are fit to govern?” he said in a statement.
“Still, he remains supported by a Conservative party that is ashamed and utterly unable to cope with the cost of living crisis facing the British people.
“The person who should leave No. 10 tonight is Boris Johnson himself. How long does the country have to wait for Conservative MPs to finally do the right thing?”
Labor chairman Chris Bryant, chairman of the Standards and Privileges Committee, added that it should be the prime minister who resigns and not Lord Geidt.
“Christopher Geidt is one of the most honorable men I’ve ever met,” he posted on social media.
“In the end, he was a decent man who worked for an indecent prime minister.
“He thought he could bring about a gradual change in a discreet way, but the number 10 repeatedly lied to him.
“In honor, Johnson should resign.”
Legal activist Gina Miller was one of the first to react to Lord Geidt’s resignation on social media, tweeting, “Finally!”
Earlier this year, the Prime Minister was criticized by Lord Geidt for an official investigation into the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat for failing to reveal the messages he had exchanged with a Conservative colleague who initially paid for the renovations.
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14:52 sorry for the renewal messages
Lord Geidt said he showed “insufficient” respect for his role.
Johnson offered a “humble and sincere apology” to Lord Geidt for the matter.
The previous year, Lord Geidt had found that the Prime Minister had not breached the ministerial code on reform.