UK adviser says Johnson must explain why he has not broken the ministerial code with lockdown fine

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds a news conference in response to the publication of the Sue Gray report Into "Partygate", at Downing Street in London, England May 25, 2022. Leon Neal/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's independent adviser on ministers' behaviour said on Tuesday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson must explain why he has not broken the ministerial code after being fined over attending a party during the COVID-19 national lockdown.

It had previously been expected that ministers who breached the guidance would be dismissed, but the government last week redrafted some of the rules to reduce the potential sanctions for those who break the code.

"In the case of the Fixed Penalty Notice recently issued to and paid by the prime minister, a legitimate question has arisen as to whether those facts alone might have constituted a breach of the overarching duty within the Ministerial Code," said Christopher Geidt, the independent adviser on ministers' interests.

"It may be that the prime minister considers that no such breach of his Ministerial Code has occurred. In that case, I believe a prime minister should respond accordingly, setting out his case in public."

(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; no sign of length approval - crEditing by Chris Reese)