Parliament lied to: Committee gives Johnson damning testimony

Boris Johnson has lied to Parliament time and time again, according to a committee of inquiry. This is the result of an investigation into statements made by the conservative ex-prime minister in the so-called Partygate scandal.

Johnson, who left office almost a year ago, had repeatedly stated in parliament that there had been no illegal lockdown parties in his seat of government during the pandemic. When that was no longer tenable, he denied having any knowledge of it or having been there himself. Everything turned out to be wrong. Johnson later said he was only reporting what he knew. But the committee didn’t buy that.

“(…) we conclude that Mr Johnson’s conduct was premeditated and that he was guilty of grave contempt for Parliament,” said the more than 100-page report, which was released on Thursday. For this and other misconduct, the committee recommended Johnson’s 90-day ban from the House of Commons. He probably should have faced the voters again in his constituency.

Johnson has already resigned

Johnson anticipated the sanction last week by resigning from office. With the recommended duration, the penalty would have been significantly more severe than previously assumed. In addition, the committee recommended withdrawing Johnson’s access pass to Parliament, which is given to ex-MPs.

The reason for the severity of the recommended sanctions was also Johnson’s reaction after the report had been sent to him in advance for comment. Johnson had publicly referred to the committee as the “kangaroo court”. The committee assessed these and similar statements as a further disregard and breach of confidentiality rules.

The seven-member committee made it clear in the report that it is a matter of principle. “This inquiry goes to the heart of our democracy. Misleading the House of Commons is not a formality but a matter of great importance,” it said. British democracy depends on MPs being able to rely on members of the government to tell them the truth, the committee report added.

What does Johnson say about the report?

Johnson reacted angrily to the report and denied having been dishonest. In a lengthy statement, he accused the parliamentary committee of being biased and claimed the findings of the investigation were politically motivated in order to get rid of him. Finding that he deliberately misled the House of Commons is “rubbish,” he wrote, adding: “That is a lie. In order to reach this insane conclusion, the committee has to say a number of things that are patently absurd are or contradict the facts.”

Whether Johnson, who is still hoping to return to the top of government, still has supporters in the lower house, should already be seen in the coming week. On Monday, MEPs are scheduled to debate the findings of the investigative report and vote on whether to agree to the result. This is likely to be another crucial test for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party.

In any case, Johnson’s reputation among the relatives of people who died in the corona pandemic is likely to have fallen again. As can be seen from the report, other previously unknown illegal celebrations took place at the seat of government during the pandemic.

How was it during the corona pandemic?

According to the anonymous testimony of a government insider, Downing Street was like “an oasis of normalcy” at the time, with birthday parties, farewell parties and regular Friday wine nights. This happened partly at a time when people in Britain could not even say goodbye to their dying loved ones and even funeral services were limited to a few attendees.

Report on Parliament’s website