Boris Johnson steers clear of Westminster again in latest Daily Mail column about Titanic tragedy
Boris Johnson has again pointedly avoided any mention of Partygate in his second Daily Mail column, instead hailing the Titan submersible victims as “heroes”, and lambasting “lefties” for questioning the cost of the expedition.
The former prime minister is reportedly receiving a six-figure salary in his new role as weekly columnist, which the appointments watchdog called a “clear breach” of the rules on former ministers taking on jobs.
His first column, in which he wrote about his experience taking the weight loss drug Ozempic, was published just a day after a scathing report from the Privileges Committee which found he lied to the House of Commons about Partygate.
In this latest 1,200-word article on Friday, Mr Johnson took aim at the “leftie Twittersphere” who he said criticised the OceanGate expedition to the Titanic for the expensive and risky venture, and that taxpayer money should not be doled out on the search.
He highlighted remarks by commentator Ash Sarkar, who had tweeted: “If the super-rich can spend £250,000 on vanity jaunts 2.4 miles beneath the ocean then they’re not being taxed enough. We get well-funded public services, they get saved from the consequences of their own hubris. What’s not to like?”
In response, Mr Johnson wrote: “Well, Ash, without in any way minimising the migrants’ tragedy, let me tell you how I feel about those on the Titanic expedition. I think they are heroes.
“Hamish Harding and his fellows were trying to take a new step for humanity, to popularise undersea travel, to democratise the ocean floor. They knew the dangers.”
Mr Johnson has not yet used the Daily Mail platform to hit out at Rishi Sunak or try to divert a conservative voting base away from the Prime Minister.
The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) criticised the way Mr Johnson moved into the new role, saying he only gave them 30 minutes notice before his new job was made public – a clear breach of the rules.
An Acoba spokeswoman previously said: “The Ministerial Code states that ministers must ensure that no new appointments are announced, or taken up, before the committee has been able to provide its advice.”
