2023-06-20 00:33:48
The Lower House of the British Parliament approved on Monday night the report of the Committee on the Privileges of the Commons, which ruled against Boris Johnson after a long investigation that allowed him to conclude that he repeatedly lied about the illegal parties and meetings held, in periods of confinement of the coronavirus pandemic, in government headquarters during his tenure as prime minister. After almost five hours of debate, the motion passed with 354 votes in favor and seven against, according to the first official count.
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A total of 118 Conservatives, including cabinet members, voted in favor of the committee’s conclusions, while Prime Minister Rishi Sunak joined a group of 225 party colleagues who abstained. The opposition branded as cowardice and weakness of leadership the position taken by Johnson’s head of government and Treasury minister, in addition to that of his neighbor in Downing Street during the period under review.
The former ‘premier’ had torpedoed the disciplinary process by resigning his seat, with immediate effect, days after receiving the draft of the investigation into his conduct during the so-called “partygate”. He attempted to discredit the committee’s work, dismissively equating it with a ‘kangaroo court’, but ultimately only attracted support in the Commons from a handful of loyal supporters.
Johnson was absent from the parliamentary session, which was notable for the low presence of Conservative deputies in the Chamber. The Government itself gave the green light to absenteeism by dispensing its ‘Tory’ ranks from abiding by the usual party discipline on other occasions and with Downing Street indicating since midday that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s agenda did not include “going to Parliament” this Monday. The Minister for Housing and Socioeconomic Equalization, Michael Gove, confirmed the day before his intention to abstain from the vote.
social distance
Johnson’s abandonment of his parliamentary position deflated the ability of the committee to act, charged with assessing whether he had adhered to the truth when he declared to the Commons on different occasions that the meeting and social distance rules of confinement were complied with during the holidays of the ‘partygate’. But the final opinion was resounding. The panel of commissioners, with a Conservative majority and chaired by Labor veteran Harriet Harman, concluded that Johnson “deliberately misled” not only Parliament but also the committee itself.
The recommended sentence included a 90-day suspension from the parliamentary seat of the until a few days ago deputy for Uxbridge and Ruislip south, in west London. The penalty would have precipitated a by-election in the constituency, even though Johnson would have been able to revalidate his candidacy. This option now seems out of the question in any district in the long term.
The punishment was finally limited to the withdrawal of free access to the Westminster Parliament. The House overwhelmingly approved the Privileges Committee’s proposal to deny Johnson the parliamentary card that is automatically granted, under normal circumstances, to former prime ministers. The decision implies, in practice, that he must wait in line and go through the usual security checks every time he wants to enter the Palace of Westminster.
“Deception” to the deputies
The Committee uncovered enough evidence to conclude that the former mayor of London “misled on numerous occasions” MPs, commissioners and the general public by insisting that lockdown rules were observed during social events that took place in the months of the pandemic at his official Downing Street residence.
Penny Mordaunt, spokesperson for the Government in the Commons, defended the work of the Committee which, as she declared at the opening of the debate, “exists to defend our rights and privileges in this place.” She confirmed that she would vote in favor of the conclusions, urged her colleagues to “do what they think is right” and warned Johnson’s huddle to refrain from intimidating others. Committee members have been accused of treason by a handful of conservatives close to the now consecrated liar.
“Johnson undermined and attacked our democratic institutions,” denounced Thangam Debbonaire, Labor spokesman in the Commons. Former Prime Minister Theresa May in turn endorsed the Committee and echoed a repeated criticism of the parliamentary opposition, saying that “if people see us making rules for them and acting as if they don’t concern us, it would break the trust between the population and Parliament”
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