London (Caasimada Online) – In a groundbreaking report that targets Boris Johnson, the former Prime Minister of Britain, the parliamentary privileges committee has suggested he be barred from automatic access to Parliament.
This stringent measure, the committee argues, is justified due to Johnson’s deliberate deception of lawmakers concerning the COVID lockdown breaches at Downing Street.
The report, spanning over 100 pages, delves into six controversial events held at Downing Street, the Prime Minister’s primary office and residential quarters.
“We conclude that in deliberately misleading the House, Mr. Johnson committed a serious contempt,” the committee proclaimed.
“The contempt was all the more serious because it was committed by the Prime Minister, the most senior government member. There is no precedent for a Prime Minister having been found to have deliberately misled the House (of Commons, lower House of Parliament).”
The committee, comprised of four lawmakers from Johnson’s Conservative Party and three from opposition parties, has recommended that he should not be granted a former member’s pass, a privilege that most former Prime Ministers and lawmakers usually enjoy, ensuring automatic access to Parliament.
Parliament will consider the recommendation on Monday.
Johnson’s denial and resistance
The former Prime Minister, known for his distinctive persona and political charisma, retaliated vehemently, labeling the report as “rubbish,” “a lie,” and “a charade.”
He further accused the committee of harboring a personal vendetta against him. This standoff has not helped to mend the fractures within the Conservative Party.
Instead, it adds more fuel to the fire of discord, subsequently burdening the current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, whose economic reforms are clouded by the ongoing controversy.
Johnson stated, “I believed, correctly, that these events were reasonably necessary for work purposes. We were managing a pandemic.”
He decried the committee’s report as a marker of a “dreadful day” for Members of Parliament (MPs) and democracy.
While Johnson has apologized for his conduct, he consistently denied intentionally misleading Parliament, asserting that he took advice from his aides who affirmed that his office was abiding by the rules.
Fallout and implications
Following an advance look at the report, Johnson resigned from Parliament last week, referring to the inquiry as a “witch hunt.”
In the wake of the report’s publication, Johnson strengthened his criticism, contending that the committee utilized ‘mystical powers’ to envision occurrences at Downing Street that he himself had not witnessed.
“DAMNING” was how the Labour Party described the report. Thangam Debbonaire, a member of Labour’s top echelon, criticized Sunak’s alleged preoccupation with the “ongoing Tory soap opera” and called for attention to more pressing issues.
Nevertheless, certain Conservative lawmakers, even those not particularly partial to Johnson, questioned the severity of the committee’s findings.
One anonymous source said, “I’m not his biggest fan, but it seems excessive.”
Johnson’s conduct, infamously tagged ‘Partygate,’ marked the onset of his downfall as Prime Minister.
A mass resignation from his Conservative Party in the previous year pressured him to announce his resignation in July.
His departure from office occurred in September. However, his influence within the Conservatives persisted, occasionally undermining Sunak’s authority, even after he resigned from Parliament last week.
While Sunak was once Johnson’s protégé, their relationship has recently taken a contentious turn, further amplified by this week’s dispute over the former Prime Minister’s resignation honors list.
