UK's Johnson apologizes after ethics investigator criticism

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has apologized after a government ethics investigator criticized the U.K. leader and his staff for failing to disclose messages he exchanged with a donor about financing the redecoration of his official residence

LONDON -- Prime Minister Boris Johnson has apologized after a government ethics investigator criticized the U.K. leader and his staff for failing to disclose messages he exchanged with a donor about financing the redecoration of his official residence.

Christopher Geidt, the independent adviser on minister’s interests, wasn’t informed of the messages last spring when he investigated the so-called “cash for curtains” scandal. They came to light in early December as part of a separate inquiry by election regulators.

While Geidt said the new disclosure didn’t change his finding that Johnson had not violated the ministerial code, he expressed “grave concern” that the information wasn’t turned over to him earlier. Geidt’s comments were published Thursday when Johnson’s office released letters he exchanged with the adviser.

“This present episode provides evidence of insufficient care for the role of your Independent Adviser,” Geidt wrote to Johnson on Dec. 17. “Beyond that, however, I believe a far greater threat to public confidence attaches to the exchanges unrecalled, the messages undisclosed, the data unconsidered and the subsequent misjudgements about the impact of the messages which I have had to weigh in this initial advice.”