If philandering Boris had been in business, he would have been finished 20 years ago

BP boss Bernard Looney had to go because he didn’t tell the whole truth about what he’d been up to. But why is it one rule for a CEO – and another for a PM, asks Chris Blackhurst

While he was editor of The Spectator , Boris Johnson had a secret four-year affair with Petronella Wyatt, who was one of his columnists (Reuters)

Those who worked for Bernard Looney knew to expect the first work emails of the day from 5am. He was that sort of boss, was the BP chief executive, typical of many of his kind: highly-driven, devoted to his job and to the giant oil company.

He was also extremely successful. BP profits were up, debt was down, the behemoth had reformed for the better during his four years in charge, producing a coherent plan for tackling the world’s move away from oil and gas – and leading a push for greater staff diversification.

Looney is history, though. He’s suddenly quit, probably before he was fired, for being less than frank about previous relationships with the firm’s employees. His track record as a CEO did not matter a jot; this was about standards, all to do with Looney setting an example for others.