Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson committed “repeated contempts” of Parliament that merited a 90-day suspension, a cross-party committee of MPs has concluded.
In its final report on the Partygate scandal, published on Thursday, the House of Commons Privileges Committee said, “If Mr. Johnson were still a member he should be suspended from the service of the House for 90 days for repeated contempt and for seeking to undermine the parliamentary process.”
In addition to deliberately misleading Parliament over illegal parties held in Downing Street during COVID-19 lockdowns, Johnson has also been found guilty of attempting to undermine the democratic process and being “complicit in the campaign of abuse and attempted intimidation of the committee.”
The recommended suspension far exceeded the 10-day threshold which, if approved by the wider House of Commons, could have led to a recall petition in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.
Though his resignation means he will escape the punishment, the committee recommended that he should be barred from having a parliament pass, which is normally available to former MPs.
The former prime minister hit out at what he called a “deranged conclusion,” accusing the committee of lying.
Partygate Denials
The Privileges Committee, which is led by Labour MP Harriet Harman but has a Conservative majority, has been investigating whether Johnson misled Parliament when he repeatedly claimed that COVID-19 rules had been “followed at all times” in Downing Street.In its report, the Privileges Committee wrote, “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.”
It added, “We came to the view that some of Mr. Johnson’s denials and explanations were so disingenuous that they were by their very nature deliberate attempts to mislead the committee and the House, while others demonstrated deliberation because of the frequency with which he closed his mind to the truth.”
The committee dismissed Johnson’s argument that mid-pandemic staff leaving dos were essential to maintain staff morale, noting they attracted police fines while the rules would have been clear to him.
“A workplace ‘thank you,’ leaving drink, birthday celebration or motivational event is obviously neither essential nor reasonably necessary,” the MPs wrote.
“That belief, which he continues to assert, has no reasonable basis in the rules or on the facts.”
‘Abuse and Attempted Intimidation’
Johnson quit as an MP on June 9, accusing the committee of trying to drive him out of Parliament and calling its investigation into the Partygate scandal a “kangaroo court.”He claimed the probe has been a “witch hunt” intended to “take revenge for Brexit and ultimately to reverse the 2016 referendum result,” despite the fact that the Privileges Committee has a Tory majority and includes arch-Brexiteer Sir Bernard Jenkin.
The committee found that Johnson breached confidentiality requirements in his resignation statement by criticising the committee’s provisional findings.
“Mr. Johnson’s conduct in making this statement is in itself a very serious contempt,” the report said.
‘Dreadful Day’
Attacking the committee’s findings, Johnson said: “This is rubbish. It is a lie. This is a dreadful day for MPs and for democracy.”Commenting on the report, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey described Johnson as “a liar and law-breaker.”
“He’s treated the public with utter disdain,” Davey posted on Twitter.
“And while these Conservatives fight among themselves again, the country suffers. People are fed up. Rishi Sunak should call a general election and give people the chance to end this charade.”
