Boris Johnson fights for his political life

 
796Views 0Comments Posted 19/03/2023

 

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson intends to present written evidence to show that he did not lie to Parliament about "partygate", the parties in Downing Street during the pandemic, when he appears before a parliamentary committee this Wednesday, revealed The Observer on Sunday.

Johnson, who was forced to leave office on September 6 as a result of the scandal, will present a statement to the House of Commons Privileges Committee on the 22nd, which must establish whether the conservative politician deceived and lied to the Parliament when he denied that he violated in Downing Sreet the rules on social distancing established during the covid-19 pandemic.

In view of the oral statement, which will take place from 14:00 GMT, the  Sunday newspaper says that the politician's legal team will disclose evidence, including witness statements.

The presence of the conservative Johnson in the committee has created a lot of expectations since his political future will be in the hands of the conclusions made by the Members of Parliament that make up the committee.

In the event that the MPs establish that he lied, the former prime minister - a Conservative MP for the Uxbridge constituency (northwest London) - could be suspended from the House of Commons.

Cabinet Secretary of State Oliver Dowden said that Johnson will make a "strong defense" of his actions but ultimately his fate will be in the hands of parliamentarians.

“I am sure that Boris Johnson will make a strong defense of himself and then it will be the committee that determines the result,” Dowden told SkyNews.

In an interim report, the Committee on Privileges recently said current evidence suggests breaches of anti-Covid rules at 10 Downing Street, the prime minister's official residence, should have been "obvious" to Johnson.

Four occasions
The members of the committee evaluate four occasions in which the former leader could have deliberately misled the MP’s with his statements in the Commons about the "partygate".

The committee inquiry is chaired by Labour MP Harriet Harman, though the seven-member panel has a Conservative majority.

The committee will release its findings on whether Johnson lied to Parliament in due course and will make a recommendation on any action that should be taken against him.