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Image source, Reuters
By Sam Francis
Political reporter, BBC News
Boris Johnson committed a "clear and unambiguous breach" of the ministerial code by not clearing his job as a Daily Mail columnist with authorities first.
The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) released emails showing the ex-PM informed them of the job 30 minutes before it went public.
Mr Johnson's first weekly column appeared hours later, on 16 June.
Acoba, which vets jobs of ex-ministers, has called for powers to punish future breaches of the code.
Lord Pickles, chair of Acoba, wrote to Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden with his concerns on Tuesday.
Current rules were "designed to offer guidance when 'good chaps' could be relied on to observe the letter and the spirit of the rules," Lord Pickles said.
"If it ever existed, that time has long passed and the contemporary world has outgrown the rules."
Despite resigning as an MP, Mr Johnson is still required to seek advice from Acoba on new jobs for two years after leaving ministerial office. He stepped down as prime minister last September.
Lord Pickles said Mr Johnson's conduct was "a clear and unambiguous breach of the government's rules and requirements of the Ministerial Code."
"Mr Johnson is familiar with both," he added.
Lord Pickles said it was "a matter for the government" to decide what, if any punishment, Mr Johnson should receive.
"I suggest that you take into consideration the low-risk nature of the appointment itself, and the need to reform the system to deal with roles in proportion to the risks posed," Lord Pickles said.
A spokesman for the former prime minister previously said Mr Johnson had been in touch with Acoba "and the normal process is being followed".
Acoba exists to ensure there is "no cause for any suspicion of impropriety" when a former minister or senior official takes up a new job.
The committee has no powers to enforce its recommendations or to punish MPs - or former MPs - who have broken the rules, but it can issue public rebukes.
The Daily Mail announced an unnamed "erudite new columnist" on its front page the day Mr Johnson applied to Acoba to ask for advice on taking the job
Mr Johnson has declared millions of pounds in earnings outside Parliament since leaving No 10 last September, most of it from making speeches.
In February, the total was nearing £5m.
Now that he has stood down as an MP, he will not have to declare his earnings in the register of members' interests.
The committee previously found Mr Johnson broke the rules by taking up a £275,000 a year column with the Telegraph weeks after standing down as foreign secretary.
It said it was "unacceptable" Mr Johnson had not sought its advice before signing the contract.
His Telegraph column became an important platform for his opposition to then-Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plans, and for building support for his own leadership ambitions. He stopped writing it when he entered Downing Street in July 2019.
His new role with the Mail could give him the chance to take public pot shots at Rishi Sunak, with whom he has recently clashed over his resignation honours list.
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