The former Prime Minister has said he is “thrilled” with his new gig.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed that he is set to join the Daily Mail newspaper as a columnist, although, the controversial political figure has already found himself in hot water regarding the appointment.
It has emerged that in light of his new appointment, the former Mayor of London could be subject to Whitehall’s anti-corruption watchdog after Johnson failed to apply for the necessary clearance to allow him take up his new role.
The chairman of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA), and fellow Conservative party member Lord Eric Pickles, is writing to Mr. Johnson to clarify details about his new role.
The British news outlet, which in the past has been accused of holding a conservative bias, confirmed the news of Mr. Johnson’s appointment on Twitter on Friday afternoon, saying that it is “delighted” to welcome “one of the wittiest and most original writers in the business”.
Mr. Johnson also appeared alongside the tweet in a short video message, in which he described himself as being “thrilled” to be a contributor to the “illustrious pages” of the Daily Mail, promising to deliver “completely unexpurgated stuff”.
The 58-year-old’s column will appear in the paper every Saturday, and has vowed to serve up readers his unfiltered views on the week’s politics.
Prior to becoming Conservative Party leader, Johnson wrote for the Telegraph, receiving a handsome £275,000 annual sum to do so. However, this figure will likely be far higher given his now household name status following his acrimonious stint running the UK.
Johnson will be joined at the Daily Mail by Tory colleague Nadine Dories. (Credit: Getty Images)Mr. Johnson, who quit his role as MP in dramatic fashion this week ahead of a report that found he lied to Parliament with his denials of lockdown rule-breaking, was required by regulations to notify ACOBA of his new position.
All former ministers who leave their roles in the British Government must apply to the independent watchdog if they seek to take up a new job within the first two years of their leaving.
In joining the Daily Mail, Mr. Johnson will be flanked by staunch Tory ally Nadine Dories, who already writes a weekly Tuesday column for the paper.
A former culture secretary under Johnson, Dories used her most recent column to suggest that “sinister forces” were behind her exclusion from Johnson’s contentious resignation honours list.
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