Boris Johnson Found To Have Breached Parliamentary Standards

Boris Johnson speaking in Parliament. Picture: PA

The Commons Standards Committee say that Boris Johnson has broken Parliamentary rules over a property in Somerset after failing to register his 20% share of ownership within the required time limit.

The report by Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Kathryn Stone accused him of "not demonstrating the leadership” expected of a long-standing and senior Member of the House.

The matter relates to a 20% share in a house in Somerset. Members of Parliament who own all of part of properties they rent out, with a value of at least £100,000 or £10,000 a year in rent, must register this within 28 days.

This is the ninth time the MP has been found to be in breach of Parliamentary rules around registration of interests.

The report goes on to say that they find it particularly regrettable that Mr Johnson gave an assurance to the Commissioner that his registration of financial interests was up to date, and "within a very short period it proved not to be the case."

In her memorandum the Commissioner states that ‘I accept that the Member had misunderstood the House’s rules but he should have checked more carefully what was required of him’.

The Committee said that Mr Johnson has “an over-casual attitude towards obeying the rules of the House”, in conjunction with “a lack of effective organisation within [his] office.”

Mr Johnson said that he considered registering the property but, did not "understand fully that it met the threshold for registration."

The Committee added it would consider any further breaches of the rules as a matter which may call for “more serious sanction”.