According to a parliamentary committee, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson lied to the House of Commons and is therefore stepping down as an MP. Johnson said he was resigning with immediate effect, according to British media reports. At the same time, he stressed that he did not understand the committee’s allegations in the scandal surrounding the illegal Downing Street blockade celebrations. The committee on the “Partygate” affair, on which MPs from Johnson’s Conservative Party are also represented, recommended suspending the former prime minister for 10 days, he said.
Johnson said he was very sad to leave Parliament, at least for now. But he was “expelled from Parliament with outrageous bias” in “an undemocratic manner” by a committee chaired by a Labor Party politician. Johnson’s constituency in northwest London is now expected to hold a by-election amid poor polls for the Tory Conservatives.
The parliamentary commission had already handed over the results of the investigation to Johnson. Members of the Privileges Committee gave the 58-year-old two weeks to respond, the BBC reported. The “warning letter” lists points of criticism and the respective evidence, as well as the punishment that MPs intend to recommend.
The committee is investigating whether Johnson lied to Parliament about the illegal Downing Street blockade party scandal. During the corona pandemic, government officials and officials have repeatedly gathered on Downing Street to celebrate with alcohol and music, contrary to regulations. Johnson and current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak were fined for attending an event.
Johnson rewards “Partygate” family members and helpers
Just over nine months after Johnson resigned as prime minister, the British government published its Prime Minister’s Resignation Honors List on Friday. Like all former British heads of government, Johnson was allowed to nominate new members to the House of Lords or nominate them for royal honours. He rewarded several confidants and employees of the “Partygate” case.
Johnson’s former chief of staff Dan Rosenfield and former London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey will be nominated for the upper house. What caused a stir, however, was that political friends such as former Business Secretary and arch-Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg and former Home Secretary Priti Patel will in future use honorary titles of Sir and Madam respectively.
Johnson’s former bureau chief Martin Reynolds, who organized an illegal blockade party in Downing Street, is also given a royal title. His former colleague Shelley Williams-Walker, who DJed at a Corona party on the eve of the Queen Consort Prince Philip’s funeral, becomes a lady.
The opposition criticized Johnson for abusing the tradition of appointments and honors through nepotism. Former Johnson employees were also outraged. There is no upper limit for the House of Lords. With about 800 members, it is the largest parliamentary chamber in the world after the Chinese People’s Congress.