With a large majority, the UK House of Commons supported the report that the former prime minister “deliberately” lied about the parties held during the pandemic. The decision was voted with 354 votes in favor and seven against. Johnson resigned from the Legislature earlier this month after reading an advance copy of the report that charged him with contempt.
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Another blow to the political career of former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Parliament supported the report detailing that he deliberately “lied” about the parties that were held in his office during the quarantine imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A resounding blow was also the vote on support for the results of the investigations carried out. 354 votes in favor and seven against determined that Johnson was in contempt of the House. With this action, the legislators of the Kingdom leave a clear message: no one is above the rules.
“It is important to show the public that there is not one rule for them and another for us.”
Former Prime Minister Theresa May will vote for the Commons Privileges Committee to report into Partygate and Boris Johnson “and urges all members of this House to do so.” pic.twitter.com/8Xd5a6KQ62
—Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) June 19, 2023
The former head of government, Theresa May, based her speech on this line of ideas. “It is important to show the public that there is not one rule for them and another for us,” she said in the middle of a debate that lasted about five hours.
For her part, the leader of the House of Commons, the conservative —like Johnson— Penny Mordaunt said that what was debated “matters” because it underlines the “integrity” of the institutions. “This has real-world consequences for the accountability of members of Parliament to each other and to the members of the public they represent,” she said.
MPs are in the middle of an unprecedented debate – on whether they should confirm that Boris Johnson – who was still Prime Minister this time last year – deliberately lied to parliament.@GaryGibbonC4 reports.https://t.co/Jcnoswtt9C
—Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) June 19, 2023
In the exchange there were conflicting opinions. Some Johnson-friendly lawmakers defended him against the accusations, while others raised their voices against the former prime minister.
On the other hand, one notable absence was that of the current boss of 10 Downing Street, Rishi Sunak. Despite the fact that his spokeswoman defended his absence, alleging scheduling problems, press agencies such as the AP, assure that he wanted to stay away, fearing that his presence would upset Johnson’s supporters who remain in the match.
Early resignation and sanctions
Upon reading an advance copy of the official document, Johnson resigned from Parliament. The official document was not made public until last week. In its pages it was assured that the former prime minister had lied when, on several occasions, he assured that all the confinement protocols had been followed in his offices during the pandemic.
As punishment, the summary of the investigation included in its recommendations that the pass that gave him permanent access to Parliament be withdrawn. He also recommended that he be suspended for 90 days from the House of Commons. Despite the reprimands, these do not prevent Johnson from running again to be part of the British Legislature.
Johnson was one of the most controversial prime ministers of recent decades. He held the Head of Government from 2019 to September 2022.
Perhaps his return to the political corridors will not be as bombastic as he thought. In his last words in Parliament, before leaving office, he promised to return with the words of a famous Hollywood movie: “Hasta la vista, baby.”
With AP and Reuters
