To be fair, the affair is only the scandal because it may have caused a conflict of interest. Boris has had plenty of them in the past, to the point where nobody knows for certain how many children he has.
Correct. It's the corruption that has his critics seeing blood in the water. Visiting your affair's home during work hours while funneling money into her business and taking her on trips she has no reason to be on to boost her career is what's the problem, not the affair.
The fact that the affair has been admitted matters only because it bolsters corruption allegations.
French here, I second this.
- Jacques Chirac had an affair
- Francois Holland also had one (quite funny he would sneak out on a motorbike to visit his mistress)
- There is growing rumours on Emmanuel Macron being secretly Gay and being married to Brigitte is a cover
On a side note, someone personal life choices has no impact on their work as politicians so that kind of "scandal" are not that big of a deal in France. It only increase the sales of gossip magazines.
The fact that the affair has been admitted matters only because it bolsters corruption allegations.