Boris Johnson must act over shameful sleaze crisis - The Yorkshire Post says

The crisis engulfing Boris Johnson’s government since last week’s cynical and clumsy attempt to undermine the independent regulatory regime over MPs’ standards and outside interests has exposed something rotten at the heart of the Conservatives.The wise and devastating verdict of former Prime Minister Sir John Major that the Government has behaved in a “politically corrupt” and shameful manner is entirely accurate and has struck a chord with the electorate, whose approval ratings of Mr Johnson plummeted over the weekend.

Disturbingly, though, it appears far from certain that the depth of public anger about sleaze has struck home forcefully enough at the heart of Government.

Environment Secretary George Eustace, sent out yesterday to make the round of media interviews, described the issue as a “storm in a teacup”.

No, Mr Eustace, it is not. On the contrary, this is a matter of the gravest concern that goes to heart of the integrity of our Parliamentary system and the behaviour both of the man responsible for running the country and some of those who sit on the benches behind him.

Mr Johnson should face the most intense scrutiny today and, if he is to stand any chance of repairing his own battered reputation in this matter, must acknowledge how disreputable last week’s attempt to manipulate the Commons was.

The Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, is reportedly preparing to announce measures to safeguard the independency of the regulatory regime. Mr Johnson should embrace that and make it clear that sleaze has no place in his government. Even so, it is likely that he will suffer long-term damage from this disgraceful episode.