The past always comes back and in the case of Boris Johnson is described by one word: party gate. The scandal of the parties held in Downing Street in full confinement, the same one that forced his resignation last summer, is now knocking on his door again. The eccentric politician will be questioned on Wednesday by the parliamentary committee investigating whether he lied to Westminster when, as prime minister, he repeatedly assured the rules were not broken.
The session – which will be televised and could last up to five hours – will be crucial in determining his political future.. Because if it is determined that he lied deliberately, it could be grounds for expulsion from the House of Commons.
The legal team of the former leader of the conservatives delivered yesterday a dossier with evidence that seeks to prove his innocence. The Defense wants it published as soon as possible, but it is hoped that the committee will want to study the content in depth first. As of press time, details had not been disclosed. Although, according to the press, the blonde ambition will hide behind saying that she was only following orders from her team, who assured her that there were exceptions to the confinement rules for “meetings in the workplace”.
However, in an initial report published earlier this month, the committee has already warned that Johnson may have misled Parliament multiple times. If it is ultimately determined that this was the case, the committee will consider whether this was reckless or intentional and come up with a punishment accordingly. The deputies are the ones who have the last word to approve any sanction, but the possible penalties they range from ordering him to apologize to suspension from the House of Commons. If Johnson is suspended for more than 10 days, this could trigger a by-election in his constituency.which could leave him without opportunities to present himself later in the general elections scheduled for next year.
The Privileges Committee that is now in charge of the investigation is chaired by Labor Harriet Harmann and is made up of seven MPs: four Conservatives, two Labor and one SNP Scottish nationalist.
Leaks to the press about parties held in Downing Street in full lockdown began to surface in late 2021. On several occasions, Johnson, who was then Prime Minister, told the House of Commons that the rules. He later admitted that his original statements had turned out to be incorrect. But he has always insisted that at the time he said them he certainly believed it to be so.
In January 2022, the independent investigation carried out by the senior official Sue Gray determined that “there were failures in leadership and judgment by Number 10 and the Cabinet Office at different times.” Later, in April of last year, a police investigation fined up to 83 people for attending these events. Among them, Johnson himself, his wife Carrie and the then head of Economy, Rishi Sunak, today become Prime Minister. Downing Street confirmed that they were for a surprise party organized on June 19, 2020 to celebrate the Prime Minister’s birthday. The event -which was limited to offering a cake and some drinks before a Cabinet meeting- was organized by carrie johnson when indoor gatherings were prohibited.
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