PM Johnson to face contempt probe, reigniting leadership doubts

LONDON • British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has faced stinging criticism from his own Conservative MPs and the embarrassing prospect of an investigation into whether he lied to Parliament over the "partygate" scandal.

Lawmakers on Thursday agreed to launch an investigation by a parliamentary committee into his past denials to the House of Commons of lockdown lawbreaking in Downing Street that caused widespread public anger.

Under the code for ministers, misleading Parliament is ordinarily a resigning matter but a bullish Mr Johnson - on a two-day trip to India - insisted he was not going anywhere. The investigation by the committee will begin once London police have finished their probe and an internal report on the scandal is published in full.

During a debate before the vote, several members of Mr Johnson's Conservative Party broke ranks to lambast his behaviour, and indicated that he no longer had their support. The signs of a growing rebellion came after Mr Johnson last week became the first British leader to be fined for breaking the law, as police confirmed they had issued dozens of penalty notices to his staff.

That prompted one junior minister to resign, while senior Tory backbencher Mark Harper told Parliament earlier this week that Mr Johnson was "no longer... worthy" of being prime minister.

On Thursday, Tory MP Steve Baker appeared to join him, saying Mr Johnson "now should be long gone" and said he would support the probe. "Really, the Prime Minister should just know the gig's up."

Another Tory, Mr William Wragg, also said he backed an investigation, noting the Commons "can be a pantomime, a farce, turgidly boring" but that "it should always be reasonably honest".

Fellow Tory Anthony Mangnall said he could not forgive Mr Johnson for "misleading the House".

In India, Mr Johnson insisted he would not quit and intended to fight the next general election - still likely at least two years away.

"I understand people's feelings," he told Sky News.

But he said of stepping aside: "I don't think that is the right thing to do. What I am determined to do is make sure we continue with our agenda."

Mr Johnson repeatedly denied in Parliament that he or his staff had breached lockdown laws, even as his government urged the public not to mix, leaving families unable to visit loved ones stricken with Covid-19 or attend their funerals.

But the fines issued in recent weeks have severely undermined his past claims. Mr Johnson's single fine is related to an office gathering for his birthday in June 2020, when Britain was under lockdown.

Further penalties for other events could follow but police said on Thursday that they will not announce any new fines issued until after local elections on May 5.

Mr Johnson has apologised over the scandal but remains adamant that he never knowingly misled Parliament and has vowed to press on with issues including the war in Ukraine.

Thursday's call for a cross-party probe into whether Mr Johnson's previous denials amounted to "contempt of the House" came from the main opposition Labour Party and was billed as a test of Conservative loyalty to him.

In an abrupt U-turn minutes before the debate began, his government abandoned a bid to force Tory MPs to delay a decision on the matter. The drastic reversal raised serious questions about the degree of support for Mr Johnson among his 359 Tory lawmakers after being dogged by "partygate" revelations for months.

The committee has the power to sanction lawmakers found guilty of offences, including suspending them from Parliament.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE