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Boris Johnson's ethics adviser Lord Geidt resigns after Partygate grilling
No, this isn't a re-post - John Penrose, who resigned 10 days ago, was the government's "Anti-Corruption Czar". So another one bites the dust:
Geidt said: ‘I feel that it is right that I am resigning from my post’ after questions over whether PM broke ministerial code
...
The resignation, the second from an ethics adviser in less than two years [the previous one to resign was Alex Allan in November 2020], threatens to overshadow Johnson’s attempts to shrug off the public outcry over Partygate, and the subsequent confidence vote from his own MPs last week.
A Government spokesperson said: “We are surprised by this decision, given Lord Geidt’s commitment to the role, to the prime minister, and in his evidence to the House of Commons just yesterday.
...
The ethics tsar faced a tough grilling from a cross-party committee of MPs earlier this week, during which he conceded it was “reasonable” to suggest Johnson may have broken the ministerial code – which includes an overarching duty to act in accordance with the law.
It is understood the robust evidence session confirmed in Geidt’s mind that his position was no longer tenable. One person who had spoken to him said he was “sick of being lied to”, while another said Geidt was “frustrated” at his portrayal as a “patsy”.
After what one friend called a “long night of the soul”, he sent a strongly worded letter to Johnson on Wednesday.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jun/15/boris-johnsons-ethics-adviser-lord-geidt-resigns-after-partygate-grilling
...
The resignation, the second from an ethics adviser in less than two years [the previous one to resign was Alex Allan in November 2020], threatens to overshadow Johnson’s attempts to shrug off the public outcry over Partygate, and the subsequent confidence vote from his own MPs last week.
A Government spokesperson said: “We are surprised by this decision, given Lord Geidt’s commitment to the role, to the prime minister, and in his evidence to the House of Commons just yesterday.
...
The ethics tsar faced a tough grilling from a cross-party committee of MPs earlier this week, during which he conceded it was “reasonable” to suggest Johnson may have broken the ministerial code – which includes an overarching duty to act in accordance with the law.
It is understood the robust evidence session confirmed in Geidt’s mind that his position was no longer tenable. One person who had spoken to him said he was “sick of being lied to”, while another said Geidt was “frustrated” at his portrayal as a “patsy”.
After what one friend called a “long night of the soul”, he sent a strongly worded letter to Johnson on Wednesday.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jun/15/boris-johnsons-ethics-adviser-lord-geidt-resigns-after-partygate-grilling
The Guardian's and other media coverage focuses on the Partygate hearing as the cause of Geidt's resignation, but Downing Street's only public statement so far raises more questions than it answers:
Unusually when such a high-profile figure quits, Geidt's letter of resignation has not been published, nor has the customary reply from Johnson.
So what is the statement referring to as "a commercially sensitive matter in the national interest, which has previously had cross-party support"?
The Rwanda set-up couldn't be said to have cross-party support. The - highly lucrative for numerous Tory cronies - balls-ups over provision of PPE at the peak of the COVID crisis might fit the bill. For instance - and very likely just the tip of one of many icebergs - one member of the Lords, Baroness Michelle Mone, has been under police investigation since April for involvement in suspected fraud because of her links to an allegedly dodgy firm that dealt with PPE contracts worth over £200 million:
Michelle Mone’s home raided as PPE firm linked to Tory peer investigated
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/apr/29/nca-launches-investigation-ppe-firm-linked-to-michelle-mone
Will we ever know why he really resigned? If we do, it's a sad reflection on the state of the government that it may be because The Mirror's Pippa Crerar - who broke many of the most damning stories about Partygate while protecting her sources - has appealed for whistleblowers on her Twitter feed:
Link to tweet
Pippa Crerar
@PippaCrerar
Unusual that No 10 hasn’t released the exchange of letters between Lord Geidt and the PM that usually accompanies such resignations. If you’re in a position to leak it, please feel free! 📨
@PippaCrerar
Unusual that No 10 hasn’t released the exchange of letters between Lord Geidt and the PM that usually accompanies such resignations. If you’re in a position to leak it, please feel free! 📨