Boris Johnson warns ministers over bullying and leaking
2 min read
Boris Johnson has warned senior members of the government against bullying, leaking and and doing anything to frustrate the Brexit process, in a new edition of the ministerial code of conduct.
In a foreword to the code of conduct, published on Friday, Mr Johnson said his Cabinet would “uphold the very highest standards of propriety”.
He added: “There must be no bullying and no harassment; no leaking; no breach of collective responsibility. No misuse of taxpayer money and no actual or perceived conflicts of interest.”
Mr Johnson also banned any “misuse of process or procedure by any individual minister that would seek to stall the collective decisions necessary to deliver Brexit and secure the wider changes needed across our United Kingdom”.
The declaration comes after Mr Johnson welcomed a number of ministers sacked by Theresa May, including Gavin Williamson and Priti Patel, back into the fold.
Mr Johnson banished perceived pro-Remain forces still within Cabinet, such as Philip Hammond and David Gauke, to the backbenches when installing his own administration in June.
He also dropped an investigation into Mark Field, the Tory MP who was caught on camera manhandling a Greenpeace activist at a black tie dinner.
The PM published the guidelines days ahead of his first meeting in-post with US President Donald Trump.
The two world leaders will meet for the first time since Mr Johnson became PM at the G7 summit in Biarritz, in France, on Sunday, where he is expected to tell Mr Trump the NHS would be “off the table” in any post-Brexit trade deal.
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