Johnson Says He's Taking Corruption Charges ‘Very Seriously’ After Chickening Out of Sleaze Grilling

© Photo : Twitter / @NorthumbriaHNSPrime Minister Boris Johnson attending Hexham Hospital on Monday, skipping a parliamentary debate on sleaze to do so.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson attending Hexham Hospital on Monday, skipping a parliamentary debate on sleaze to do so. - Sputnik International, 1920, 08.11.2021
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The House of Commons called an emergency debate on standards after the government attempted to fiddle with the Commons disciplinary process and prevent the suspension of Tory lawmaker Owen Paterson, who was found guilty of breaking Commons lobbying rules.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted on Monday that his government takes allegations of corruption “very, very seriously” and promised to fix outstanding problems – but only after the current process of investigating politicians is modified.
“What we’ve got to make sure is that we take all this very, very seriously and that we get it right,” Johnson said, speaking to reporters on Monday.
“What we do need to do is look also at the process. We are going to make every effort to get it right and we are going to hold MPs to account,” the prime minister added.
The UK’s Liberal Democratic Party secured a three-hour emergency debate in the House of Commons, with the debate, taking place on Monday afternoon, calling for an independent and public probe into corruption allegations made against the government after the Tories attempted to change the Commons ethics standards system from censuring MP Owen Paterson.
Paterson, a Tory MP for North Shropshire, was found to have breached Commons advocacy rules by taking £500,000 pounds from two firms – a manufacturer of medical equipment and a sausage products maker – to lobby on their behalf.
‘Running Scared’
Johnson skipped the Commons’ sleaze debate, claiming he had a prior commitment that he couldn't back out of. Instead, he visited a hospital in Britain’s northeast. A spokesperson said it was the prime minister’s “long-standing plan…to go up there and see the importance of National Health Service staff getting their [Covid] boosters.”

Opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer accused Johnson of “running scared,” alleging that the PM “doesn't have the decency either to defend or apologise for his actions.”

“When required to lead, he has chosen to hide. His concern, as always, is self-preservation, not the national interest,” Starmer said.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Steve Barclay was tasked with responding for the government on Johnson’s behalf at the sleaze debate.
Paterson Peccadillo
The Tories ignited controversy last week after voting to re-jig parliamentary misconduct rules, preventing Paterson from being suspended for his lobbying, which could have led to a recall petition and a by-election, and instead creating a new select committee of nine backbench MPs to rule on misconduct cases, replacing the current panel of seven independent lay members.
FILE PHOTO: Owen Paterson is pictured outside the Cabinet Office in London - Sputnik International, 1920, 03.11.2021
Tories Block Fellow MP's 'Sleaze' Suspension for Paid Lobbying
The Scottish National Party and Labour announced that they would boycott the new committee, prompting an embattled Johnson to reverse the government’s stance and announce a fresh vote on Paterson’s suspension. That decision prompted Patterson to announce his resignation, assuring that a by-election will take place.
Swirling Scandals
The Patterson case is just one of about half a dozen corruption rows swirling around the BoJo government, with others including a so-called "cash for honours" scandal offering Tory treasurers cushy peerages in the House of Lords – Britain’s upper house of parliament – in exchange for major donations to the party.
The Johnson government is also facing allegations of the unseemly and potentially illegal awarding of Covid-related medical equipment contracts to friends of government officials, and a "cash for curtains" row over the luxury remodelling of Johnson’s Downing Street flat by Tory donor Lord Brownlow. In a separate scandal that emerged last month, Johnson was reported to the UK’s standards watchdog after failing to declare the value of his Spanish getaway at a wealthy donor’s villa in the MPs’ register.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street in London - Sputnik International, 1920, 08.11.2021
Sleazy Does It Boris
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