London:
A British parliamentary requirements committee on Thursday cleared Prime Minister Boris Johnson of breaching a lawmakers’ code of conduct more than a luxury Caribbean vacation, but criticised his handling of the matter.
After a months-extended probe, the House of Commons Committee on Standards concluded Johnson had accurately declared how he paid for the controversial trip with his then fiancee — now wife — Carrie Symonds to the privately owned island of Mustique more than Christmas 2019.
However, the cross-party panel of MPs mentioned it was “regrettable” that a complete explanation of the opaque arrangements that saw a Conservative Party donor fund their vacation accommodation had not been offered earlier.
It noted the British leader has been previously admonished more than other monetary interest declarations, and urged all lawmakers “to avoid seeking or accepting gifts or hospitality on the basis of complex and unclear funding arrangements”.
“This matter could have been concluded many months ago if more strenuous efforts had been made to dispel the uncertainty,” the committee stated in a 47-web page report on its probe.
“Given that Mr Johnson was twice reprimanded by our predecessor Committee in the last Parliament in the space of four months for ‘an over-casual attitude towards obeying the rules of the House’, we would have expected him to have gone the extra mile to ensure there was no uncertainty about the arrangements.”
Johnson has faced many watchdog investigations more than numerous challenges considering that becoming prime minister in 2019, and has extended been dogged by inquiries about the luxury vacation.
In the register of MPs’ interests, he claimed the 15,000 pounds ($21,200) worth of accommodation on the island was offered by David Ross, a businessman and donor to his ruling Tory party, who owns a villa there.
However, the committee was asked to investigate following a complaint that Johnson had inaccurately or only partially declared how the trip was paid for, amid reports he stayed in a distinct house.
The investigating lawmakers, and a separate probe by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Kathryn Stone, discovered Johnson did keep in an additional villa.
The report notes they ultimately found there was “an ad hoc agreement in place” for Ross to subsequently provide the use of his personal villa to the island’s management business to compensate for the price of option accommodation.
“It is regrettable that a full account and explanation of the funding arrangements for Mr Johnson’s holiday accommodation has only come to light as a result of our own enquiries rather than at an earlier stage,” the report mentioned.