‘Partygate’ report that slammed Boris Johnson likely to be backed by U.K. MPs
Global News
Johnson stepped down as prime minister in September 2022, but remained a lawmaker until June 9, when he quit after receiving notice of the privileges committee’s findings.
Britain’s House of Commons is likely to endorse on Monday a report that found Boris Johnson lied to lawmakers about lockdown-flouting parties in his office, a humiliating censure that would strip the former prime minister of his lifetime access to Parliament.
Lawmakers debated the report by the Privileges Committee that found Johnson in contempt of Parliament, and were expected to approve its findings. It was unclear whether there would be a formal vote or whether the report would be approved by acclamation.
House of Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt urged lawmakers to “do what they think is right.” Mordaunt, a Conservative like Johnson, said she would vote to endorse the report if it came to a formal vote.
“This matters because the integrity of our institutions matter. The respect and trust afforded to them matters,” she said. “This has real world consequences for the accountability of members of Parliament to each other and the members of the public they represent.”
Johnson responded with fury to the report, branding its conclusions “deranged” and accusing its members of “a protracted political assassination.”
But only a handful of his staunchest political allies said they would vote against the committee’s conclusions, and many lawmakers from the governing Conservative Party were absent from the House of Commons benches as the debate began. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, wary of riling Johnson’s remaining supporters, declined to say whether he would participate in the debate.
“He’s got a number of commitments,” including a meeting with Sweden’s prime minister, said Max Blain, Sunak’s spokesman. “It will depend on how the timings in Parliament play out.”
Johnson, who turned 59 on Monday, also was not there. He stepped down as prime minister in September 2022, but remained a lawmaker until June 9, when he quit after receiving notice of the privileges committee’s findings.