Less than four years after Boris Johnson’s resounding victory with the Conservative Party, British lawmakers are facing a crucial vote on whether to restrict his access to the Houses of Parliament. In a report released on Thursday, a committee of lawmakers branded Johnson’s actions as a “serious contempt” for lying to the House of Commons about parties that violated pandemic lockdown restrictions. The committee, also known as the House of Commons Privileges Committee, declared that Johnson’s involvement in the “partygate” scandal warranted a 90-day suspension from Parliament, which could trigger a by-election. Johnson, however, avoided the punishment by resigning as a Member of Parliament (MP) last week after receiving advance notice of the report’s findings.
“The contempt was especially grave because it was committed by the Prime Minister, the highest-ranking government official,” stated the House of Commons Privileges Committee. “There has never been a previous instance where a Prime Minister has been found deliberately misleading the House. Johnson misled the House on a matter of utmost significance to both the House and the public, and did so repeatedly.” The committee further accused Johnson of being involved in a campaign of abuse and attempted intimidation against it.
The committee, consisting of seven members, including four Conservative MPs, recommended that Johnson be denied the former member’s pass, a pass usually granted to former MPs enabling them to access Parliament, as reported by the BBC. The lawmakers are scheduled to vote on this recommendation on Monday.
The 108-page report, released after a 14-month investigation, delivered a scathing assessment of the former prime minister’s character, according to the New York Times. It revealed that Johnson attempted to distort the meaning of lockdown rules that his own government had enforced after unauthorized gatherings took place at 10 Downing Street. Johnson, along with current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and others, faced fines from the police in connection with these gatherings that occurred in government buildings in 2020 and 2021.
A document issued on Friday provided additional evidence and highlighted a culture of disregarding rules at 10 Downing Street during the pandemic. The Guardian reported that events like “Wine Time Fridays” continued as usual, even though staff were instructed not to leave the building in groups to comply with social distancing regulations.
In response to the committee’s report, Johnson released a scathing statement, which can be found here, referring to the committee as a “kangaroo court” and dismissing the report as “rubbish.” He firmly denied having violated any rules and accused the committee of attempting to carry out a prolonged political assassination.
Overall, this development presents a significant challenge for Boris Johnson and his political future. The outcome of the parliamentary vote will determine the extent of the consequences he may face for his actions.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
