UK: Accusations of nepotism and corruption put Boris Johnson on the ropes and divide the Conservatives | Globalism

A series of scandals about nepotism and corruption have surfaced in Britain’s ruling Conservative Party in recent months. One accusation after another piled up to the point that a large section of the “Conservatives” themselves (as the Conservatives are known) turned against the prime minister. Boris Johnson.

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The latest case stars Jeffrey Cox, the former nation’s attorney general and current conservative lawmaker. An investigation by the Daily Mail He revealed how Cox worked as an attorney for the government of the British Virgin Islands (an overseas territory located in the Caribbean) while in his current position, which he achieved through a vote through an authorized representative in Parliament.

Cox admitted that he earned more than 1 million pounds (1.2 million US dollars) during the year from his work abroad, in addition to his salary as a lawmaker of 82,000 pounds (110 thousand US dollars), according to the British. Newspaper.

The politician defends himself by making sure that the laws of Parliament allow him to have another source of income as long as it is declared by the said institution, as well as he is not considered a lobby for a private party.

However, the breakout comes at the worst possible time for the Conservatives and especially for Johnson.

change the rules

Just a week ago, the Tory government suffered one of its biggest storms thanks to another MP, Owen Patterson.

The Patterson scandal erupted after the House of Commons Ethics Committee ended a two-year investigation. In its final report, the said commission determined that the deputy had incurred “A heinous case of levy to defend private interests, after advising and submitting projects to Parliament that would benefit Randox Laboratories and Lynn’s Country Foods.

Patterson was charged more than 102,000 pounds ($120,000) for those services. “He has used his privileged position as a member of the House of Commons to secure the merits of two firms that have hired him as chancellor (…) he has offended this Parliament“, Refers to the report in an article in the Spanish newspaper El País.

As a result, the commission suggested suspending her parliamentary function for a month and starting an electoral process in her constituency for citizens to decide whether to retain the position or be replaced.

In a surprising gambit, Johnson’s government responded by introducing a reform to the Parliament’s Ethics Committee, proposing a series of new steps in favor of the accused that proved an attempt to free Patterson from the process.

The scandal was such that the project was rejected not only by the opposition Labor Party but even by the ranks of the Conservative Party themselves. The proof of this is that the reform was approved by 250 votes to 232 against, which is scandalous if we consider that the Conservatives have 80 more seats than Labor in Parliament.

Veteran politicians, incumbent legislators, and much of the public opposed reform, forcing the government to back down on its intention to save Patterson, separating its case from the project and hours later the legislator resigned.”From the cruel world of politics“.

Other scandals

But these aren’t the only dark clouds looming over 10 Downing Street.

To further aggravate Patterson’s case, Johnson decided not to appear last Monday before the House of Commons, which organized an urgent debate on the rules that MPs with another job must follow.

The Prime Minister justified himself by emphasizing that he agreed to a medical visit for him for an extended period and that he could not postpone it. Seizing the opportunity, opposition leader Keir Starmer, who said Johnson “Today he doesn’t even have the decency to defend what he did or apologize“.

Support for Johnson appears to have peaked, in large part due to the corruption alarms that fueled many of his decisions.

As an example, awarding contracts during the pandemic to Tory donors without public competition, among those that stand out the most is Over $37 billion contract with NHS Test and Trace, or a COVID-19 case-tracking system that has been found to be unusable, or Another $280 Million with Ayanda Capital and PestFix, by coronavirus protection teams that did not meet the minimum standards.

All this without forgetting the investigations that took place on Johnson for not declaring the income he received from the sale of a book, the origin of the money with which they carried out the millionaire’s renovation of his own apartment in Downing Street or how he distributed the seats. In the House of Lords to the Poles who are in turn donors to the Conservative Party.

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