Engulfed in corruption row, UK's Johnson says he takes issue seriously

FILE PHOTO: Britain's International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan speaks during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, November 5, 2021. REUTERS/Phil Noble

LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, fighting accusations his government is mired in corruption, said on Monday it took the issue very seriously and members of parliament should be held to account for unethical behaviour.

Johnson has been engulfed for days in a row centred on his botched handling of the suspension of a ruling Conservative Party lawmaker, Owen Paterson, who was found to have breached rules on paid lobbying. It was the latest incident in a series of scandals to hit his Conservative government.