MPs Back Parliamentary Report Criticising Boris Johnson’s Conduct

Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson listens 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)

MPs have voted to back a Parliamentary report that found former Prime Minister Boris Johnson committed “repeated contempts” of Parliament.

The Privileges Committee’s report, published last week, said Johnson deliberately misled Parliament over illegal parties held in Downing Street during COVID-19 lockdowns.

It also found the former prime minister guilty of attempting to undermine the democratic process and being “complicit in the campaign of abuse and attempted intimidation of the committee.”

The committee 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.

The former prime minister called it a “deranged conclusion” and accused the committee of lying.

On Monday, the report was backed by MPs, with 354 voting in favour and just seven against.

Most Tories Abstained

Conservative MPs were given a free vote on the Partygate report, with 118 backing the report and the majority opting to stay away, including Rishi Sunak, the current prime minister.

Johnson loyalists such as former culture secretary Nadine Dorries had previously warned that Tory MPs could face deselection by their local Conservative associations if they backed the report.

In the debate preceding the vote, Conservative former Prime Minister Theresa May said backing the Privileges Committee’s conclusions would be “a small but important step in restoring people’s trust” in Parliament.

In a veiled swipe at Sunak’s absence from the chamber, she urged her party to “show that we are prepared to act when one of our own, however senior, is found wanting.”

But her fellow Conservative MP Nick Fletcher said he would vote against the motion, saying MPs should remember Johnson is “human” and that he “nearly died” during the pandemic.

Former Cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, a staunch Johnson ally, said the Privileges Committee’s proposed sanctions were “vindictive” and “ridiculous.”

‘Cowardly Cop-Out’

Sunak’s official spokesman said he missed the vote because he had afternoon meetings on Monday, including hosting his Swedish counterpart, Ulf Kristersson, before attending a dinner in the evening.

Sunak claimed his reticence about publicising his view on the report’s conclusions was because he “wouldn’t want to influence anyone in advance” of the vote.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomes Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to 10 Downing Street, London, on June 19, 2023. (James Manning/PA Media)

But opposition MPs criticised the prime minister for staying away from the vote.

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper said: “Tonight Rishi Sunak committed a cowardly cop-out. His failure to vote says all you need to know about this prime minister’s lack of leadership. Sunak promised integrity yet when push came to shove, he was too weak to even turn up.”

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Rishi Sunak is too weak to lead a party too divided to govern and working people are paying the price.

“Rather than distance himself from his disgraced predecessor, Rishi Sunak has repeatedly demonstrated he’s just more of the same Conservative failure we’ve had to put up with for 13 years now. It’s time for a change.”

‘Caravan Has Got to Move On’

Downing Street said on Tuesday that the prime minister respects the decision made by MPs to back the Privileges Committee’s report.

Sunak’s official spokesman said: “The prime minister thanks the committee for their thorough work and fully respects the decision of the House on this matter. He has made clear it was rightly a matter for Parliament and not for government.”

Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride told Times Radio he hopes Boris Johnson and the current Cabinet “can all row together now and focus on what people really care about.”

He told the BBC, “I think really the caravan has got to move on from Boris Johnson, with respect.”

PA Media contributed to this report.