Boris Johnson will face a parliamentary ethics inquiry into his past comments about rule-breaking parties in Downing Street during the pandemic, as opposition lawmakers accused him of lying over “partygate.”
MPs backed a motion from the opposition Labour party for the U.K. Prime Minister to be referred to a parliamentary committee to probe whether he misled lawmakers over the events in his and other government offices.
Lawmakers approved the move without a vote, after the government abandoned a bid to delay it until after the police concluded their own inquiry and an internal report on gatherings during the pandemic was published.
Ministers found to have lied are expected to resign, though there’s little chance of Johnson doing so. Given his Conservative Party has a majority on the committee and the high bar to prove Parliament was “knowingly” misled, it’s also far from a given it will find evidence of wrongdoing.
Still, it’s another setback for Johnson that threatens to undermine his authority and prolong the uncertainty, even though the Tory appetite for a change of leader had dissipated in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
U-Turn
The government’s U-turn on delaying the vote came after it became clear that any parliamentary inquiry wouldn’t begin until after the police investigation concludes and senior civil servant Sue Gray has published her own findings anyway, Johnson’s spokesman told reporters on Thursday.
But according to people familiar with the matter, several MPs had told Tory party managers the attempt to intervene in the vote had uncomfortable echoes of the government’s botched attempt last year to help Conservative MP Owen Paterson evade an ethics probe, an approach which backfired.
Johnson Burns Through Political Capital Built With Tory MPs
In many ways the row over Paterson, who was found guilty by a panel of MPs but resigned before his suspension kicked in, triggered the recent turbulent period for Johnson, which “partygate” then exacerbated.
One Tory MP said the government’s conduct on Thursday risked being seen as Paterson 2.0, while another called the U-turn a shambles and accused the Conservative whips -- or parliamentary enforcers -- of bottling it.
Asked about the reversal, Johnson told Sky News during a visit to India that “it’s very important that nobody should say we’re trying to avoid scrutiny.”
“People were saying it looks like we are trying to stop stuff; I didn’t want that,” Johnson said. “I don’t want this thing to endlessly go on. But, I have absolutely nothing, frankly, to hide.”
Police Fine
Johnson has already been fined by police over a birthday event in 2020 during the pandemic, when lockdown rules saw people unable to visit dying relatives in hospitals. He could face more penalties for other events, having become the first sitting premier found to have broken the law.
MPs on Thursday debated whether Johnson misled them over his account of events. Johnson and his officials have repeatedly said his statements reflected his understanding of events at the time.
“This is about honesty, integrity and telling the truth in this place. It is an important principle and it’s one we all share,” Starmer told the Commons. “It is a principle that is under attack, because the prime minister has been accused of repeatedly, deliberately and routinely misleading this house over parties held at Downing Street during lockdown.”
Tory Calculus
Johnson’s huge working majority of 75 in Parliament should have meant the government passed its own counter proposal without much drama. In any case, the Conservatives look set to avoid an inquiry before local elections on May 5.
But events on Thursday are reminder that while Johnson may be more secure than at the height of “partygate” a few weeks ago, there’s still residual resentment in the party over how he handled the Paterson row late last year.
“We have been working in a toxic atmosphere. The parliamentary party bears the scars of misjudgments of leadership,” Tory MP William Wragg, a Johnson critic, said in the Commons. “It is utterly depressing to be asked to defend the indefensible. Each time, a part of us withers.”
Influential Tory MP Steve Baker, who said just Tuesday he was prepared to forgive Johnson, called on the prime minister to resign.
Those are the kind of interventions that were common just weeks ago, when Johnson appeared on the brink of being ousted.
Rethink
Since then the political calculus of many would-be rebels has shifted as they consider who will give them the best chance of retaining their jobs at the next election. Russia’s war in Ukraine and the slumping popularity of Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak have influenced their thinking.
The coming weeks could still be critical, especially if the Tories perform badly in local elections or if more damaging allegations emerge.
Yet Johnson’s critics also know that the challenge to remove Johnson is formidable, given it would take 15% of them, or 54 in total, just to trigger a no-confidence vote. Winning that would then require a majority. Several Tory MPs have said privately that rebels recognize that Johnson is going nowhere, and so criticizing him in public will not serve their interests.
Law-Breaking Boris Johnson May Survive to Fight New Election
On the plane to India, Johnson made clear he’s not stepping down, telling reporters he thinks voters have different priorities than “partygate.”
“Politics has taught me one thing which is you’re better off talking and focusing on the things that matter, the things that make a real difference to the electorate and not about politicians themselves,” Johnson said. Asked whether he would fight the next general election, he replied, “Of course.”
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