A student whose great-grandfather died of Covid-19 the same week parties took place in Downing Street has said Boris Johnson's decision to join the Daily Mail as a columnist is sending a message to bereaved families that he is invincible.
Just one day after the release of a scathing report found that the former Prime Minister deliberately misled Parliament over Partygate, Mr Johnson was announced as the newspaper's newest contributor.
In a video, the former prime minister promised his columns would be "exactly what I think".
Harriet Spoor, 20, a student from east London and campaigner with Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, said the ex-MP was being rewarded for bad behaviour.
"I think it gives across the message of invincibility - you can continuously lie. yet you are rewarded a platform to continue to share a level of disengagement with our democratic and parliamentary processes to a large audience," she said.
"Incentivising Mr Johnson with a platform to continue to lie could potentially leave the Daily Mail with a huge risk on their shoulders of losing their readership to a law-breaker. He has shown his words cannot be trusted in our elected parliament, with checks and balances, how can we expect him to act with integrity in the world of journalism (again)."
The student, who is also a local Labour councillor, started campaigning on behalf of bereaved families after her great-grandfather, Colin, who was in his 80s, died in hospital on 8 December 2020. His death came just three days after he was admitted with Covid.
Restrictions in place at the time meant that neither she nor any other members of her family could be with him when he died. Ms Spoor said this was in complete contrast with how he had lived his life "surrounded by people".
She had not seen her great-grandfather in person for the whole of 2020 in an effort to protect him from Covid and was also unable to attend his funeral because she contracted the virus.
She added that those involved in Partygate were "essentially making a mockery of people that died".
"Now it turns out that Boris has misled Parliament as well, it's like continuous lies have encouraged the loss of loved ones' lives and we can't get that back," Ms Spoor said.
She welcomed the Privileges Committee's recommended sanctions against Mr Johnson but feels he should face further consequences, pointing to the £115,000 yearly allowance he will receive as a former prime minister.
"I think we shouldn't be rewarding bad behaviour," she said.
Ms Spoor believes Mr Johnson's behaviour is at odds with what should be expected from someone in public office.
She said: "When I was elected [as a Labour councillor], I knew that I had to uphold the principles of public office. I know that you have to be honest, you have to be integral you have to be selfless. You have to portray all these characteristics of an elected official."
The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) said Mr Johnson had committed a "clear breach" by becoming a Daily Mail columnist.
Ministers are required to wait for the committee's advice before they announce a new role.
Mr Johnson only gave Acoba half an hour's notice, the committee said. A spokeswoman for Acoba said: "An application received 30 mins before an appointment is announced is a clear breach."