Johnson urges release of absurdly unfair partygate report amid suspension threat
Boris Johnson has called on the privileges committee to release its report concerning allegations that he lied to MPs about partygate, labelling the committee’s rules as “absurdly unfair.” The former prime minister has been accused by the cross-party group of MPs of deliberately misleading parliament with claims that COVID regulations were adhered to at all times within Downing Street during the pandemic. Johnson has urged the committee to publish the report without delay, stating, “let the world judge their nonsense.”
The privileges committee received “further representations” from Johnson’s legal team late on Monday night as the group was finalising the inquiry. The nature of these submissions has not been disclosed, but it is anticipated that their publication will be delayed as a result. A spokesperson for the committee confirmed that they are addressing these new representations and will report promptly.
Johnson has previously criticised the seven-member committee, which is chaired by Labour MP Harriet Harman and has a Conservative majority, as a “kangaroo court.” He made these comments when announcing his departure from the Commons on Friday after receiving a draft of the committee’s findings. It has been speculated that the committee had been considering a 20-day suspension as punishment for lying, which could have led to a recall petition and potential by-election. Although Johnson cannot be suspended now that he has resigned, he could be denied a parliamentary pass offered to former MPs, a sanction that was imposed on ex-Commons speaker John Bercow after a bullying report.
Despite the potentially damaging findings of the report, Johnson has insisted, “I’ll be back,” referencing Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator. In the Daily Express, the former prime minister stated, “We must fully deliver on Brexit and on the 2019 manifesto. We must smash Labour at the next election.”
