354 members of the House of Commons vote in favour of a report from the COVID epidemic ‘Partygate’ incident that said the former prime minister lied about it.
A study that suggested punishing former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson for misleading the legislature about illegal, intoxicated parties hosted during the COVID-19 outbreak was approved by lawmakers in the country.
The report from the privileges committee, which recommended that the former leader should have his parliamentary pass removed, was approved by the House of Commons on Monday by a vote of 354 to 7. It would have also suggested a 90-day suspension from the legislature if he hadn’t already resigned.
Johnson abruptly left the House of Commons ten days ago after reading a draught of the report and branding the investigation a “witch hunt.”
Theresa May, a member of the Conservative Party and Johnson’s predecessor as prime minister, remarked, “It is important to show the public that there is not one rule for them and another for us.”
House of Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt urged lawmakers to “do what they think is right” as she opened the five-hour discussion. Mordaunt, a Conservative like Johnson, declared she will support the Commons Privileges Committee’s findings with her vote.
“This matters because the integrity of our institutions matter. The respect and trust afforded to them matters,” said Mordaunt. “This has real-world consequences for the accountability of members of Parliament to each other and the members of the public they represent.”
A few Johnson supporters stood forward to support the former leader. “I cannot see the evidence where Boris Johnson misled Parliament knowing, intentionally, or carelessly,” said MP Lia Nici.
Rishi Sunak, the prime minister of India, was among the several Conservative MPs who skipped the discussion. He remained aside out of concern for upsetting Johnson’s surviving fans.
The prime minister had “a number of commitments,” according to Sunak’s spokesperson Max Blain, including a meeting with the president of Sweden.
Johnson, who celebrated his 59th birthday on Monday, wasn’t either. He left his position as prime minister in September 2022, although he continued to serve as a member of parliament until June 9, when he resigned after learning of the Privileges Committee’s conclusions.
The debate on Monday was the most recent repercussion of the “Partygate” affair concerning events at Downing Street and other government facilities in 2020 and 2021.
When it was revealed that political staffers had birthday parties, garden parties, and “wine time Fridays” during the pandemic, it infuriated Britons who had abided by the regulations put in place to stop the coronavirus’s spread but were unable to visit friends and family or even say goodbye to relatives who were dying in hospitals.
In response to Partygate, Labour Party MP Chris Bryant claimed that “there is visceral anger” among people.
The Sunday Mirror newspaper’s publishing of a video this week of staff members dancing and drinking at a Conservative Party headquarters event in December 2020, when mingling between different families was prohibited indoors, brought back memories.
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