Lord Hyde’s former ethics adviser, Lord Hyde, is said to believe that allegations that the prime minister tried to appoint his future wife, Carrie, to a senior government post may be “ripe” for investigation.
A report published in the first edition of The Times on Saturday claimed that Mr Johnson had tried to hire his then-girlfriend a £ 100,000-a-year job at the Foreign Office in 2018.
The story was withdrawn from later editions after the intervention of number 10 and Ms. Johnson’s spokesperson described it as “completely untrue”, but Downing Street has so far declined to comment.
And № 10 did not deny a further report in the Daily Mirror today that Mr Johnson discussed with his aides the possibility of appointing Carrie as ambassador on the eve of last year’s COP26 global summit or as director of communications for the duke and duchess. the Earthshot Award of Cambridge.
A Downing Street source said it was “false” to assume that Mr. Johnson had recommended his wife for any job, but did not answer the question of whether he had discussed it with assistants. The prime minister’s spokesman declined to discuss details of Mr Johnson’s personal talks with advisers.
The spokesman said: “The Prime Minister has never recommended Ms. Johnson for a state role or as part of the Earthshot Award. Furthermore, I would not enter into any conversations that the Prime Minister may or may not have had in private.
Ms Johnson’s spokesman said: “This is an old story that is as untrue now as it was then.
But Lord Hyde, who sensationally resigned as ministerial adviser last week, reportedly believes the question of Carrie’s alleged attempt to find a role in the foreign ministry could be explored by his deputy.
The former supervisor “thinks the incident may be a matter for his successor” and “may be ripe for investigation,” according to The Daily Telegraph.
The initial allegation that the prime minister was trying to appoint Carrie to the foreign ministry appeared in the first edition of The Times on Saturday, but has disappeared from later copies.
Downing Street confirmed that aides had intervened since the statement was first published in The Times, but denied that the prime minister himself had contacted the newspaper to complain.
The story expanded on allegations made in the biography of Mrs. Johnson, First Lady: An Intrigue at the Court of Carrie and Boris Johnson, written by Tory donor Lord Ashcroft earlier this year.
In response to the initial story, a spokeswoman for Ms. Johnson said: “These allegations are completely untrue.
But Times journalist Simon Walters is behind his “100 percent” story, saying he spoke to 10 aides and Ms. Johnson’s spokeswoman before the paper was published.
“At no point did any of them offer a written denial of any element of history,” Mr Walters said.
Carrie and Boris Johnson at the platinum anniversary celebrations
(Reuters)
Despite Lord Hyde’s apparent interference in the Johnson dispute, it is unclear whether he will have a successor in the same role in advising on potential breaches of the ministerial code.
Mr Johnson is considering not replacing his ethics supervisor, saying that he would review the best way to manage the “vital” function and acknowledged that the position could be removed.
Parliament is due to vote on Labor’s plan on Tuesday to give MPs in an inter-party election committee new powers to hold Mr Johnson and his ministers accountable for any alleged breaches of the rules.
The Labor proposal will give new powers to the Special Commission on Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs (PACAC) to appoint its own adviser on alleged violations of the Ministerial Code if the role is not filled.
Keir Starmer’s party will demand a vote Tuesday on the proposal, which will allow the commission’s ethics adviser to launch an investigation if Hyde is not replaced within two months.
Deputy Labor leader Angela Raynor said it would mean putting number 10 in “special measures” to stop Mr Johnson from “rude to the rules, avoid responsibility and lower standards in public life”.
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