Criticism Of Boris Johnson Conduct Divides Tory MPs

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson looks on during a tour after a meeting with Gov. Greg Abbott at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, on May 23, 2023. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Conservative MPs have been divided on a parliamentary committee’s criticisms of Boris Johnson’s conduct and its recommended punishments for the former prime minister.

The House of Commons will vote on Monday on the Privileges Committee’s report, which recommended that Johnson should have faced a 90-day suspension had he not already resigned in advance of its judgment and be banned from holding a pass to access Parliament.

MPs will be given a free vote, meaning they will not be ordered to toe party lines but will be able to vote according to their own individual views.

But some Johnson allies warned Tory MPs they could face deselection by their local Conservative associations if they back the motion, as Johnson remains popular with many grassroots members.

The sanctions proposed by the committee are expected to pass, with only a relatively small group of Johnson loyalists set to oppose the report’s findings, although many more Conservatives could simply not turn up.

Boris Johnson giving evidence to the Privileges Committee at the House of Commons, London, on March 22, 2023. House of Commons/UK Parliament via PA Media

‘Repeated Contempts’

In its final report on the Partygate scandal, published on Thursday, the Privileges Committee said Johnson committed “repeated contempts” of Parliament that merited a 90-day suspension.

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.”

Though his resignation means he will escape 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.

He called the committee “beneath contempt” and claimed its 14-month investigation had delivered “what is intended to be the final knife-thrust in a protracted political assassination.”

‘Definitely Not Defeated’

Cabinet minister David Davies said he believed the report had killed off Johnson’s hopes for a political comeback.

Asked if Johnson’s career is now over, the Welsh Secretary told BBC’s “Question Time”: “I think it probably is. I’m not saying whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing. I don’t really see any way back for Boris.”

Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg delivers his keynote address during the National Conservatism conference at the Emmanuel Centre in London, on May 15, 2023. Leon Neal/Getty Images

Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, an arch-supporter of the former prime minister, said the 90-day suspension recommendation was “extraordinary,” and accused the committee of “deliberately trying to do damage to Boris Johnson.”

Talking to Sky News, he said the House of Commons will “inevitably” vote in favour of the report, “because you have the whole of the opposition against him … but you also have the Boris haters in the Conservative Party.”

But he said Johnson is “definitely not defeated,” though he predicted he would not attempt a comeback to Parliament before the next election.

Threat of Deselection

Bassetlaw MP Brendan Clarke-Smith and former Cabinet minister Sir Simon Clarke were among Johnson’s allies to indicate they would vote against the report, with the latter saying “this punishment is absolutely extraordinary to the point of sheer vindictiveness.”

Johnson loyalist Nadine Dorries called for Tories who vote against Johnson to be kicked out of the party.

Nadine Dorries gives a speech during the Conservative Democratic Organisation conference at Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth, England, on May 13, 2023. Andrew Matthews/PA Media

The former culture secretary, who announced her intention to resign as an MP after being struck off Johnson’s honours list, wrote on Twitter: “Any Conservative MP who would vote for this report is fundamentally not a Conservative and will be held to account by members and the public. Deselections may follow. It’s serious.”

Commons leader Penny Mordaunt called for calm.

She advised MPs to read the report and “to make their own judgments about it and take the task that is our privilege to do seriously and soberly.”

“It will be a painful process and a sad process for all of us,” she said, “but all of us must do what we think is right and others must leave us alone to do so.”

PA Media contributed to this report.