'There is no precedent for a prime minister having been found to have deliberately misled the House'
1.It’s official: Boris Johnson is a liar
The Privileges Committee report finds that Boris Johnson knowingly misled Parliament on numerous occasions over lockdown parties in Downing Street.
It states: “We conclude that when he told the House and this Committee that the rules and guidance were being complied with, his own knowledge was such that he deliberately misled the House and this committee.”
A man with a history of lying is once more found to have lied.
2.Committee recommended a 90-day suspension for Johnson
The 30,000-word report also revealed that the Committee recommended that had Boris still been a sitting MP he would have faced a 90 day suspension. Just a reminder that a suspension of 10 days would have been enough to potentially prompt a by election. The length of proposed suspension shows just how severe Johnson’s contempt of Parliament is.
It’s also been revealed that two MPs on the committee wanted Johnson expelled from the House – a far more serious sanction which would have forced an immediate by-election.
3.Johnson’s contempt has no precedent
Johnson’s character and integrity were comprehensively demolished by this scathing report.
Unanimous in its verdict, the report also found that Johnson’s contempt has no precedent. It stated:
“The contempt was all the more serious because it was committed by the prime minister, the most senior member of the government.
“There is no precedent for a prime minister having been found to have deliberately misled the House.”
4. Johnson was part of a campaign to abuse and intimidate MPs investigating him
It’s not just the behaviour of Johnson during Covid lockdowns which was found to be problematic, but also the manner in which he conducted himself towards the committee.
The report found that Johnson was “complicit in the campaign of abuse and attempted intimidation of the committee”.
It stated: “The Committee had provisionally concluded that Mr Johnson
deliberately misled the House and should be sanctioned for it by being suspended for a
period that would trigger the provisions of the Recall of MPs Act 2015. In light of Mr
Johnson’s conduct in committing a further contempt on 9 June 2023, the Committee
Matter referred on 21 April 2022 (conduct of Rt Hon Boris Johnson): Final Report 7
now considers that if Mr Johnson were still a Member he should be suspended from the
service of the House for 90 days for repeated contempts and for seeking to undermine
the parliamentary process, by:
a) Deliberately misleading the House
b) Deliberately misleading the Committee
c) Breaching confidence
d) Impugning the Committee and thereby undermining the democratic process
of the House
e) Being complicit in the campaign of abuse and attempted intimidation of the
Committee.
5. Johnson should not be given a former member’s pass
The Committee also recommended that Johnson not be given a former member’s pass that would have allowed him privileged access to the Westminster estate, given that he undermined the democratic processes of parliament.
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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