Ethics adviser to scandal-hit UK leader Boris Johnson quits

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — The ethics adviser to scandal-hit British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has quit and accused the government of seeking to flout conduct rules. In a resignation letter, Christopher Geidt said he was put in an “impossible and odious position” because the government asked him to advise on measures that would “risk a deliberate and purposeful breach of the Ministerial Code.” He  said, “I can have no part in this.” In response, Johnson indicated the issue concerned import tariffs. Geidt’s resignation late Wednesday came weeks after an investigator’s report criticized Johnson for allowing government parties that breached coronavirus lockdown restrictions. His ethics adviser before Geidt also quit, in November 2020.