(London) If the political future of Boris Johnson is uncertain after his departure from the British Parliament, his media career is assured: the ex-Prime Minister was hired on Friday as an editorialist by the conservative tabloid DailyMaila return to the already controversial journalism.
The daily specialist in rowdy headlines against environmentalists, the administration or Prince Harry, ardently supported the ex-conservative leader throughout the “partygate”, the holiday scandal in Downing Street during the anti-COVID-19 confinements which resulted in his departure from power last summer.
A week after the announcement of his resignation from his mandate as an MP and the day after a parliamentary report finding him guilty of having lied to Parliament and accusing him of attacks against democracy, the newspaper claimed in a Friday recruited a mysterious “new scholarly columnist” whose words will be expected “in Westminster and around the world”.
THE DailyMail confirmed the obvious during the day: it will be Boris Johnson, who will publish an editorial every Saturday in his columns, starting this week.
This activity will bring him significant media visibility, he who entered into open war against his successor Rishi Sunak and did not rule out a return.
This will also represent for Boris Johnson, who celebrates his 59th birthday on Monday and is about to have an eighth child, a source of comfortable income: Politico claims that he will earn several hundred thousand euros per month.
These sums will be added to the millions that his speeches in conferences have brought in since his departure from Downing Street.
But his hiring has already been scrutinized by the commission responsible for supervising the appointments of elected officials in the private sector in order to avoid conflicts of interest. The latter felt that it had not been notified in time to issue an opinion.
“A request received 30 minutes before the announcement of an appointment represents a clear violation of the rules,” said a spokesperson, adding that explanations had been requested.
Before devoting himself to politics as mayor of London and in several governments, Boris Johnson had started as a trainee journalist at the Times through family relationships. He was quickly fired for a made-up quote.
In 1989 he became Brussels correspondent for the Daily Telegraphwhere he tackled the European institutions, before becoming a political columnist in London for this conservative daily and the magazine The Spectator.