British lawmakers set to punish ex-PM Johnson for ‘Partygate lies’
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Mr Boris Johnson was forced to quit as Britain's prime minister last July due to Partygate and a string of other scandals.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – British MPs vote on Monday on a report that found former prime minister Boris Johnson deliberately lied to Parliament about lockdown-breaking parties,
A House of Commons debate about the report is being held on Mr Johnson’s 59th birthday – likely leading to the removal of his pass to Parliament – as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak struggles to move the crisis-hit country on from his predecessor’s many scandals.
Mr Johnson and his dwindling supporters have portrayed the report by the Commons Privileges Committee as a “witch hunt”, and he resigned as a Member of Parliament just before its publication.
But Mr Sunak, who has promised to restore integrity to government, said the bipartisan members had “done their work thoroughly”.
However, Mr Sunak’s office refused to say whether he would attend the debate – and he declined to be drawn on how MPs should decide if the report is put to a vote.
“This is a matter for the House rather than the government. That’s an important distinction and that is why I wouldn’t want to influence anyone in advance of that vote,” he told ITV.
Opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer, however, tried to keep pressure on Mr Sunak to avoid taking sides between the report’s backers and Mr Johnson’s vocal supporters in the Conservative Party at large.
“He should show leadership. Come along! Get in the (voting) lobby and show us where he stands on this,” he said on ITV, while also accusing Mr Johnson of “miserable misbehaviour”.
The committee in a scathing 106-page report last Thursday found Mr Johnson guilty of “repeated contempts (of Parliament) and... seeking to undermine the parliamentary process”.
‘Indefensible’
“The contempt was all the more serious because it was committed by the prime minister, the most senior member of the government”, the report said, adding there was “no precedent for a prime minister having been found to have deliberately misled the House”.
Even as the vote looks set to draw a line under the Partygate scandal, another video emerged on Sunday of Tory party officials partying in December 2020 during lockdown.
Secretary Michael Gove apologised for the Covid-19 rule breach at a time when the public was banned from socialising or meeting loved ones. He told the BBC the footage was “terrible” and “indefensible”.
Covid-19 victims’ support groups were outraged at the reminder of the blithe disregard for the rules that was also seen in Mr Johnson’s 10 Downing Street.
London’s Metropolitan Police force confirmed that it was looking into the footage from a 2020 Christmas gathering at Conservative headquarters.
Two of those present at the party were recognised in Mr Johnson’s controversial resignation honours list, and faced calls to withdraw their names.
By pre-emptively resigning, Mr Johnson thwarted the committee’s recommendation to suspend him as an MP for 90 days – which could have led to him facing a humiliating re-election battle.
Instead, the committee could only recommend that his parliamentary pass be withdrawn, denying him one privilege normally offered to former members.
It remains to be seen whether the debate ends in a formal vote later on Monday, or is simply nodded through by the Commons.
Mr Johnson has urged his supporters not to bring it to a vote, arguing the pass sanction is meaningless. However, his critics say any vote risks exposing how few supporters he has left among Tory MPs.
One of those supporters, former minister Jacob Rees-Mogg, predicted an eventual comeback. “Perhaps, after the next election, Boris Johnson will return to the fray with a new electoral mandate,” he wrote on Saturday in the right-leaning Daily Telegraph, praising his “undimmed ebullience”.
Under-fire Mr Sunak is now facing four potential by-elections – three linked to the Johnson fallout.
These will give voters an opportunity to voice discontent over the government’s failure to tame inflation and the cost of living crisis.
Separately, Mr Sunak deflected calls for a new government fund to give home owners some respite as the cost of home loans rockets. “We’ve got a clear plan to do that (halve inflation). It is delivering. We need to stick to the plan,” he said. AFP
