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Boris Johnson Joins The Daily Mail After Quitting Parliament in Shame

‘WE ARE DELIGHTED’

The former prime minister also finds himself in ethical hot water as an anti-corruption panel says he’s in “clear breach” of rules over his new job announcement.

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PETER NICHOLLS

Former U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson, who rage-quit Parliament amid his “Partygate” scandal, is now a columnist for The Daily Mail. The right-leaning British tabloid announced that Johnson, who was a journalist before jumping into politics, would publish his first column on Friday afternoon and every Saturday going forward. “We are delighted to announce Boris Johnson as our new columnist,” the newspaper said in a statement, calling the ex-PM “one of the wittiest and most original writers in the business.” The Mail seemed to give away the game beforehand, though, when it didn’t give front-page coverage to Parliament condemning Johnson for misleading lawmakers over a string of boozy parties he threw at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, defying his own government’s lockdown rules. Johnson’s new gig, meanwhile, has also landed him in more ethical hot water as he’s accused of violating anti-corruption policies. The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments noted that Johnson committed a “clear breach” of the rules by only informing the panel of his new job 30 minutes before it was publicly announced.

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