Boris Johnson accused of abusing ministerial code so rule-breakers can avoid sack

Former member of government's ethics watchdog urges Conservative MPs to challenge PM's revisions

Boris Johnson is abusing the ministerial code" by redrafting it to reduce the potential sanctions for ministers who break rules, a former member of the government's ethical standards watchdog has said, urging Conservative MPs to challenge this.

Jane Martin, formerly the local government ombudsman who served on the committee on standards in public life for five years until December 2021, said Johnson had wrongly used a report by her committee as a spur to weaken the code.