The source, who was working with Johnson at the time, said Carrie Johnson – now the prime minister’s wife – had never gone as far as formally applying for the role. They claimed, however, that Johnson, then Secretary of State, had repeatedly pressured him to be selected for the position of senior taxpayer financier, which is reflected in internal documents from the period that could be examined by an investigation. The prime minister’s spokesman had previously said he was unable to comment on Johnson’s activities before becoming prime minister, but that “others have made it clear that this story is untrue”. A former secretary of state, Alan Duncan, also said he was told in 2018 that Carrie Johnson was a rising star running communications at the Conservative Campaign (CCHQ) headquarters and was in line for a special advising role in the department. “For someone slightly unproven who knew nothing about foreign affairs coming out of the CCHQ and at the State Department it was rather remarkable,” Duncan told the Guardian. She said she had no idea about the nature of her relationship with Johnson and that the proposal for her rapid promotion had only been mentioned tentatively, although she added: then the bubble would have burst. “ Duncan said the suggestion that Johnson tried to get his girlfriend a job with 100 100,000 a year in taxpayer funding was the latest proof of a “dripping ceiling theory”. He explained: “They put one bucket under one drop, another bucket under another drop – but at some point the whole ceiling will fall down.” The chairman of the House of Commons Standards Committee, Chris Bryant, called for the “paper route” on the issue to be published on Tuesday. “It is obviously corrupt to appoint your lover as Spad,” he said in a tweet. At the time, Johnson was still married to his second wife, Marina Wheeler. Bryant was urged by Liberal Democrat leader Wendy Chamberlain to investigate the allegations, as the role of government ethics adviser remains unfulfilled following the resignation of Christopher Gide last week. After Geidt said the claims “could be ripe for investigation”, Chamberlain said there was a “significant risk that such an investigation would not follow” because No. 10 has not pledged to replace Geidt while considering the role. Chamberlain said: “If proven to be true, these allegations would amount to a serious breach of standards in public life and would discredit not only the post of Prime Minister but also Parliament and our politics as a whole.” Since the Standards Committee can only conduct general inquiries and those referred to it by the Standards Commissioner, Bryant should launch an investigation into “ministerial attempts to appoint interested persons” and then call Johnson as a witness for a formal examination. the case. Labor deputy leader Angela Reiner expressed concern about Johnson’s alleged attempt to set up an “inappropriate appointment in his own office,” but described it as “just another case of providing jobs to people close to him.” He said the country could not “endure another five months without any responsibility on Downing Street” and joked that “for this prime minister, morality is a county east of London”. Conservative MP Jackie Doyle-Price told the Commons in response that the man chosen to replace Geidt “would take a huge risk to his reputation by taking the job” and urged colleagues not to break the law or stupid standards. “It should be in our DNA to play by the rules of the game,” he said. Michael Ellis, the minister in the Cabinet Office, defied calls for a deadline to be set for Gate. He said that the appointment will be made after “due diligence and attention” and “haste” should not be completed. After the Mirror reported that Johnson discussed giving environmental roles to his wife in the fall of 2020, No. 10 said the prime minister did not recommend her for any appointments, but would not “enter into discussions he may or may not have had.” . A spokesman for Carrie Johnson described as “completely untrue” allegations that she had been offered a job at the State Department. Regarding the allegations that followed attempts to find her a job elsewhere, they said: “This is an old story, both untrue now and then.”
