If Boris Johnson’s political career does indeed come to an end, it would be a fitting conclusion. Never before has a prime minister, or a former one, been found guilty of intentionally deceiving the Commons.
His offense and response to being held accountable were completely in line with his character. Knowing that he was caught, Johnson resorted to his familiar playbook. He used bluster, humor, and fake anger to divert attention from the charges. However, by attacking the integrity of the most senior committee in the Commons, he not only increased his sentence but also provided Rishi Sunak with the ammunition to ensure he has no chance of returning to parliament early.
The findings of the cross-party privileges committee, which is dominated by Conservative members, are damning. They determined that “Mr. Johnson committed a serious contempt by deliberately misleading the House,” and emphasized that it was even more serious because it was done by the prime minister, the highest-ranking member of the government. The committee dismissively brushed aside his excuses, evasions, and attempts to split hairs over his knowledge of the lockdown-breaching events at Downing Street.
The committee of MPs concluded that his dishonesty was so grave that the only appropriate punishment would be to trigger the process that could compel him to face a by-election. No sitting or former prime minister has ever faced such a severe consequence. The gravity of his offense is magnified by the fact that he was in Downing Street at the time. Although the Commons must ratify the committee’s recommendation, Johnson, having seen the report in advance and realizing his colleagues would not save him, chose to resign as an MP rather than face the humiliation, initiating a by-election in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat.
By launching a personal and unwarranted attack on the committee, Johnson exacerbated his offense. As a result, the recommended suspension has been increased to three months. Before his attacks, it was expected to be between 10 and 20 days. This serves as a warning to individuals who might question the process when it rules against them. Parliament is asserting itself, and rightly so.
Of course, the number is merely for show since Johnson has already resigned. The only remaining sanction is the loss of a former member’s automatic right to visit parliament.
What is more significant is that the severity of the punishment and the harshness of the report provide Sunak with the justification he needs to prevent Johnson from standing as a Conservative candidate in the general election. Although a future leader could reverse this decision, Johnson might miss the opportunity to return by then. Furthermore, it gives the House of Lords appointments commission grounds to deny him a peerage if he were to ever seek one.
This leaves Johnson with only the martyr card to play, and although he is playing it aggressively, it is evident that his fan base is dwindling. His supporters will attempt to build up a narrative of betrayal, and he will be a vitriolic critic from outside the establishment, with friendly newspapers willing to pay handsomely for his increasingly hyperbolic attacks on the Tories under Sunak’s leadership. The party’s internal conflicts will undoubtedly intensify as Johnson revels in making threats and talks of returning at the helm of a new party.
Johnson will also feel sufficiently aggrieved, a feeling that grows in proportion to his actual guilt, and will be even more determined to ensure that this is not the end of his career. However, to do so, he must now relentlessly damage his own party and its leader. He seems unconcerned about this, but it will come at a cost among party members whose support he still needs.
Some argue that he has been brought down over trivial matters, such as parties and birthday cakes. However, this misses the point. There are various opinions on lockdown, ranging from its harshest critics to its staunchest supporters and everything in between.
But Johnson and his government were the ones who vigorously enforced these rules. By willfully disregarding them, he showed contempt for the voters in whose name they were enacted. The most basic principle of democratic governance is that laws apply to those who govern, not just to the governed.
He then misled parliament and, in turn, the people, in order to escape accountability for his actions. Finally cornered, he denied, smeared, and blustered in a desperate attempt to avoid the consequences.
Johnson is not being forced out over a birthday cake or as the result of a witch hunt. He is out because he broke the rules, lied, showed contempt for the voters and the country, and because his consistent pattern of behavior has finally caught up with him. Truly, nothing has exposed him in his public life more than his departure from it.
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.
