Partygate British MPs decide to open an inquiry into Boris

‘Partygate’: British MPs decide to open an inquiry into Boris Johnson

The UK Prime Minister was already fined last week for breaching anti-Covid restrictions by attending a surprise drink to mark his 56th birthday in June 2020.

Boris Johnson is stuck in Downing Street while in custody in the secret parties scandal and is now the target of a parliamentary inquiry launched by MPs on Thursday April 21 to see if the British Prime Minister has questioned them on the matter has deceived.

It’s yet another setback for the 57-year-old Conservative leader: far from turning the page of the crisis, he finds himself with a third inquiry, after others in ongoing administrative and police proceedings. And this despite the large majority in the House of Commons, the initial will to resist and a maneuver to push back that was abandoned at the last minute. The consensus decision by MPs without a vote opens a new front in an affair that is likely to force Boris Johnson to resign in the long term, a sign of ongoing unease within his squad over the scandal.

“leadership error”

On many occasions before Parliament he gave assurances that all the rules had been observed, a claim belied by the fine imposed on Boris Johnson a week ago. The Ministers’ Act provides that a minister who has knowingly misled Parliament must resign. The parliamentary inquiry will not begin until the police investigation is complete and lead officer Sue Gray, who is in charge of an internal inquiry, has delivered her final report.

A preliminary report denouncing “faults in leadership and judgment” has already provided a glimpse of his appreciation for what was happening behind the walls of Downing Street, in contrast to the sacrifices Brits were making in the fight against the pandemic to have. The motion, which moves the parliamentary process forward, “seeks to uphold the simple principle of honesty, integrity and telling the truth” in British political life, opposition Labor Party leader Keir Starmer said of the text’s origins. “We know that the prime minister himself broke the law,” he added, stressing that the prime minister is not immune to new fines for his participation in other festive events.

The case, which took a back seat for a time due to the war in Ukraine, was revived last week when he was fined for breaching anti-Covid restrictions when he celebrated his 56th birthday in June 2020 attended a surprise drink and the first incumbent British Prime Minister was sanctioned for breaking the law.

elections in sight

On the plane that took him to visit India, he reiterated that he wanted to remain in office until the next general election in 2024. On the Sky News channel, he assured that he “frankly had absolutely nothing to hide” in this affair, he regrets “without end”. On Tuesday, Boris Johnson repeated his “unreserved” apology to MPs and Brits, saying it “had not occurred to him” that this gathering, which he says lasts a maximum of 10 minutes, “could constitute a breach of the rules.” “. “then in effect.

However, many MPs who once called for Boris Johnson’s departure feel it is inappropriate to hound him from Downing Street in the context of the war in Ukraine… and in the absence of an apparent successor, the minister’s finance star Rishi Sunak had in struck in recent weeks due to the purchasing power crisis. However, Thursday’s debate gave some rebels a chance to explain themselves, like influential MP Steve Baker, who joined the ranks of Conservative MPs calling for Boris Johnson to step down. “The prime minister is long overdue,” said the passionate Brexiteer.

This new setback for Boris Johnson comes just two weeks before a dangerous May 5 local election for the Conservatives. In any case, London police, who have already imposed around fifty fines and are continuing their investigations, indicated on Thursday that they would not communicate on possible developments in the case until the elections.

SEE ALSO – ‘I paid the fine straight away’: Boris Johnson apologizes to Parliament for ‘Partygate’