Britain's Boris Johnson reprimanded for failing to declare his income - ExBulletin

Source: ExBulletin

LONDON (AP) A British parliamentary committee on Thursday reprimanded former foreign minister Boris Johnson for failing to declare his income by the deadline set by Parliament.

Johnson acknowledged his mistake and apologized hours after the report was made public.

He said he offered "a full and unreserved apology" for his late financial reporting.

Johnson was found to have failed to report his income in a timely manner on nine recent occasions. The amount involved is more than 52,700 pounds ($67,000).

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards found "registrations were late on four occasions, involving nine payments, suggesting a lack of attention or compliance with the requirements of the House".

The breach was not considered minor or accidental.

Johnson is a prominent Brexit hardliner who resigned from his Cabinet post in July in protest against Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan. It remains in Parliament and is bound by its reporting rules.

It was established that he had not declared his external income within the required 28 days. Most of the revenue came from royalties on books Johnson wrote and his work as a journalist.

Income ranged from a payment of 37 pounds for French royalties for one of his books to a monthly payment of almost 23,000 pounds for his column in the Daily Telegraph which began in August.

He also said he "hospitably" received two tickets from Surrey County Cricket Club for a match at The Oval. The tickets were valued at 1,800 pounds.

The statement released Thursday said Johnson apologized for "any unintentional delays" in complying with the reporting requirements.