One of Boris Johnson’s party colleagues earned millions as a lobbyist while sitting in parliament.
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Both the opposition and the newspaper commentators are rolling out the big guns. They are targeting Boris Johnson. He and the leadership of the Conservative party are accused of covering up filth and fantasy.
After 24 years as a Conservative MP, Owen Paterson is over. Last Friday he withdrew.
Paterson came into the spotlight in earnest when it was revealed that he earned 110,000 pounds (1.2 million kroner) a year as a lobbyist. This came on top of the income as a Member of Parliament.
He could not complain about the hourly wage. The million income assumed that he worked 16 hours a month for Randox Laboratories, a Northern Irish medicine company. He also worked 24 hours a year for Lynn’s Country Foods. It was paid with 12,000 pounds (132,000 kroner). MPs earn 82,000 pounds (900,000 kroner) a year.
Randox was awarded large contracts in connection with the corona pandemic. The company got it without having to participate in tender competitions. Paterson actively helped to establish contact between the company and the authorities.
–Digging for scandals
The revelation of Paterson’s extra income has given the media blood on its teeth.
The Guardian wrote on Tuesday that around a quarter of conservative MPs have paid work alongside politics. These 90 politicians earn a total of 44 million kroner a year.
Around 30 MPs have jobs as political advisers to companies and organizations.
Former Minister of Justice Sir Geoffrey Cox gets a lot of attention. He has earned £ 1 million by advising the tax haven British Virgin Islands.
In the Labor group, there are three who have extra jobs.
Would change the rules
Last week, Parliament’s ombudsman for ethics ruled that Paterson should be expelled from the National Assembly for 30 days.
The leadership of the Conservative Party strongly disliked the “verdict”. They mobilized the parliamentary group to change the regulations. The Prime Minister’s party comrades wanted to abolish the entire ombudsman scheme. Instead, they want a committee made up of politicians.
With the current parliament, such a committee will have a clear conservative majority. Thus, it can acquit party comrades who step over the line.
This got media like The Economist and The Financial Times to react strongly.
The Economist wrote that Boris Johnson shows contempt for the control mechanisms in politics.
The reactions from both politicians and public opinion were so strong that several Conservative MPs regretted that they had voted in favor.
On Tuesday, it became clear that Boris Johnson no longer supported the new committee.
Johnson needs to clean up
“People are really angry at Boris,” an anonymous conservative told The Financial Times.
He is afraid of the image created by the conservatives. That they are a bunch of greedy politicians without morals.
Johnson himself has gone no further than mild criticism of Cox and the work he did for the Virgin Islands.
“MPs’ most important job is for their voters,” he said.
– If they do not work for them, they do not do their job. Then they will get their deserved verdict from the voters.
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