THE UK LIBERAL Democrats have called for an immediate investigation into claims Boris Johnson lobbied for a young woman to get a City Hall job while he was London mayor.
It has been alleged that Johnson advocated for a role for the woman in 2008 just weeks after they met but the appointment is said to have been blocked because his colleague, Kit Malthouse, now a minister in the caretaker Cabinet, said the pair appeared to have an inappropriately close relationship.
The Sunday Times reported that the woman was upset by what happened, confronting Johnson about it several years later.
Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dems’ deputy leader, called for an investigation into the matter.
She said: “The woman’s account is deeply distressing to read and it’s clear this must be investigated immediately, either by a parliamentary body or City Hall authorities.
“British politics has been repeatedly dragged through the mud in recent weeks.
“It is utterly depressing that not only has another politician in high office been accused of abusing their power, but that it is now the sitting Prime Minister who faces serious questions.”
According to the Sunday Times report, the woman secured an interview for the role but felt ill-qualified and was unsuccessful.
The newspaper said she confronted Johnson nearly a decade later during the #MeToo movement in 2017, when he admitted pushing her forward for the post.
He is said to have repeatedly apologised, telling the woman: “I’m very, very sorry, your unhappiness about this.”
But he denied any wrongdoing, according to the newspaper, saying: “I don’t believe that I was malicious and I don’t believe that I would have been aggressive or anything like that. I think that would be not fair.”
Labour’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, said: “These awful allegations add to the lies, the law breaking and the security breaches – this man is not fit for office and should go now.”
A Downing Street spokesman said: “This not about his time as PM and no public interest as I see it. And we don’t talk about his private life.”
Eight Tories have so far put themselves forward to replace Johnson as prime minister, just days after a collapse in party support forced his resignation.
Former health secretaries Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid have both pledged to slash corporation tax as they announced separate bids for the Tory leadership.
It comes after two serving Cabinet ministers, Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, revealed their intention to run for the top job in the space of an hour.
Declaring their candidacies in The Telegraph, Hunt and Javid both said they would not only scrap the former chancellor’s plans to raise corporation tax from 19% to 25% in April but reduce the rate to 15%.
The pair spelled out their economic plans in separate interviews with the newspaper.
Hunt pledged to continue pushing legislation to overwrite parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol through the UK Parliament.
Earlier, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said that after “careful consideration” and discussion with colleagues and family, he would not stand to be party leader and the next prime minister.
Attorney General Suella Braverman, ex-minister Kemi Badenoch and senior Tory Tom Tugendhat have also launched bids.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is also widely expected to stand, with the Mail on Sunday reporting she will seek to advocate “classic Conservative principles”, and could declare her candidature as soon as tomorrow.
It was reported yesterday that Boris Johnson intends to stand down formally as Prime Minister tomorrow in order to run again for Tory leader but this suggestion was knocked down by a spokesperson as completely untrue.
As candidates have started to make their move, Tory MP Charles Walker said it is incumbent on those running for leader that they “don’t knock lumps out of each other”.
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