Rees-Mogg warns Tories against blocking Johnson, risking party civil war

Jacob Rees-Mogg, former Cabinet minister, has cautioned the Conservative Party against attempting to block Boris Johnson from standing in another parliamentary constituency, warning that such a move could lead to a “civil war” within the party. Johnson resigned as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip on Friday due to the ongoing investigation into Partygate. Rees-Mogg received a knighthood in Johnson’s resignation honours on the same day. The Conservative Party stated that all potential constituency candidates, including former MPs, undergo the same process.

Labour leader Keir Starmer criticised Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for failing to put an end to “the Tory chaos” and called for a snap election. Johnson’s resignation as an MP came after he saw a report by the Commons Privileges Committee, which is investigating whether he deliberately misled the Commons over lockdown breaches in Downing Street. In a statement on Friday evening, Johnson claimed the draft report was “riddled with inaccuracies and reeks of prejudice,” and referred to the committee as a “kangaroo court.”

The committee has not yet confirmed the recommended sanction but is expected to publish its report this week. Two sources informed the BBC that the committee recommended a suspension from the Commons lasting more than 10 days in the documents sent to Johnson. If the House of Commons approves a suspension of 10 sitting days or more, the MP in question faces a recall petition in their constituency, potentially leading to a by-election.

In his resignation letter, Johnson hinted at the possibility of returning to Parliament, stating he was “very sad to be leaving Parliament” but adding “at least for now.” Following his resignation, speculation has arisen about Johnson potentially standing in another seat, although no indication suggests this is likely. Rees-Mogg wrote in the Mail on Sunday that Johnson could “easily get back into Parliament at the next election,” but warned against any attempts to block him from seeking the party nomination in another seat, as this could “shatter our fragile party unity and plunge the Conservatives into civil war.”

In the Sunday Mirror, Starmer accused Sunak of failing to stand up to Johnson and agreeing “to hand gongs to a cast list of cronies.” Starmer urged Sunak to “finally find a backbone, call an election, and let the public have their say on 13 years of Tory failure.” A government source refuted these claims, stating that Sunak is focused on delivering “what the British people want.”