Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing fresh calls to quit after his second ethics adviser in less than two years resigned from his post.
Lord Christopher Geidt resigned on Wednesday, a day after telling MPs it was “reasonable” to suggest the prime minister broke the ministerial code by breaching COVID-19 lockdown laws in the so-called “partygate” scandal.
In his resignation letter to Johnson, published on Thursday, he said he had been credibly clinging onto the role only “by a very small margin” over partygate.
But Geidt said he was forced to quit when he was tasked with offering a view on the government’s “intention to consider measures which risk a deliberate and purposeful breach of the ministerial code.”
The prime minister’s response indicated that it was relating to advice on the Trade Remedies Authority, a body set up following Brexit to protect UK industries from unfair practices or unexpected surges in imports.
Geidt wrote, “This request has placed me in an impossible and odious position.”
He said the idea that the prime minister “might to any degree be in the business of deliberately breaching his own code is an affront.”
“A deliberate breach, or even an intention to do so, would be to suspend the provisions of the code to suit a political end. This would make a mockery not only of respect for the code but licence the suspension of its provisions in governing the conduct of Her Majesty’s ministers.
“I can have no part in this.”
In his response, Johnson said his intention was to seek Geidt’s “advice on the national interest in protecting a crucial industry.”
He said the unspecified industry “is protected in other European countries and would suffer material harm if we do not continue to apply such tariffs.”
Johnson said the matter has previously had cross-party support and that the request would be in line with domestic law “but might be seen to conflict” with the UK’s obligations under the World Trade Organisation.
He demanded that the prime minister explain to the public why he thought he had not broken the code.
In response, Johnson released a letter later that evening, claiming that he “did not breach” the ministerial code, as there was “no intent to break the law.” He also insisted that he had taken “full responsibility” by apologising to the House of Commons.
Appearing before the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee on Tuesday, Geidt accepted it was “reasonable” to suggest that Johnson may have breached the ministerial code by being handed a fixed-penalty notice by the Metropolitan Police.
However, he indicated to MPs that he wouldn’t be launching an investigation into Johnson. He described himself as an “asset of the prime minister” rather than a “free-orbiting adviser,” and still required Johnson’s final consent before starting an investigation.
The first of Johnson’s ethics advisers to quit was Sir Alex Allan, who resigned in 2020 after the prime minister refused to accept his finding that Home Secretary Priti Patel had bullied civil servants.
Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner said: “The prime minister has now driven both of his own hand-picked ethics advisers to resign in despair. If even they can’t defend his conduct in office, how can anyone believe he is fit to govern?
“The person who should be leaving No. 10 tonight is Boris Johnson himself. Just how long does the country have to wait before Tory MPs finally do the right thing?”
