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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Ben Glaze & Sophie Huskisson

Boris Johnson loses vote on Partygate lies as just SEVEN MPs back him in humiliation

Boris Johnson has faced his final humiliation over Partygate as MPs overwhelmingly backed a report branding him a liar.

The ex-PM’s political career ended with a whimper as the Commons found he misled Parliament without his supporters putting up a fight.

354 MPs backed the report with just seven MPs opposing it.

Rishi Sunak was branded “weak” as he swerved the debate to avoid picking a side.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: "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.

Boris Johnson was found to have misled MPs when he denied lockdown-busting parties took place in No10 (Getty Images)

“Sunak promised integrity yet when push came to shove, he was too weak to even turn up. "

The tiny group of Conservative MPs who supported Mr Johnson by opposing the report included Sir Bill Cash, Heather Wheeler, Nick Fletcher, Joy Morrissey, Adam Holloway and Karl McCartney.

While Mr Sunak stayed away, 118 Tory MPs voted to approve the damning report into Mr Johnson. Among their number were 27 government ministers, including nine who sit around the Cabinet table.

In the Commons debate, Theresa May tore into Mr Johnson as she backed the report that found he lied and lied and lied.

The former Tory leader said: “This committee report matters, this debate matters and this vote matters.

“They matter because they strike at the heart of the bond of trust and respect between the public and Parliament that underpin the workings of this place and of our democracy."

Mrs May urged MPs to back the Committee's findings, saying: “If people see us making rules for them and acting as if they are not for us, that trust between the public and Parliament is undermined.”

She called on other Tories to support the conclusions and recommendations, telling Conservatives they needed to demonstrate they could punish MPs if they break the rules.

“It is doubly important for us to show that we are prepared to act when one of our own, however senior, is found wanting,” she warned.

Labour MP Harriet Harman, who chaired the Privileges Committee, said: “Even if you’re the Prime Minister - especially if you’re the Prime Minister - you must tell the truth to Parliament.”

Mr Sunak attended a charity dinner instead of going to Parliament.

Opening the debate, Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt told MPs: “The Committee’s report found that Mr Johnson deliberately misled the House and Committee and in doing so committed a serious contempt

"It also found that Mr Johnson breached confidence, undermined the democratic process of this House and was complicit in a campaign of abuse and attempted intimidation of the committee.”

She also took a swipe at his resignation honours list, suggesting he was to blame for “the debasement of our honours system”.

The former PM flounced out of the Commons earlier this month, triggering a by-election in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.

He resigned before the cross-party panel could publish its study - and blasted the process as a “kangaroo court”.

Had he not already quit, the Committee recommended he should face a 90-day suspension - its second toughest punishment ever.

Shadow Commons Leader Thangam Debonnaire said: “Mr Johnson undermined and attacked our democratic institutions - a far cry from a Prime Minister this country can be proud of.

“He lied to this House, to the people of this country and, when exposed, lashed out at the system designed to hold him and all of us here to account.”

She added: “Telling the truth is the foundation of a functioning Parliament.”

Confirming she would support the report’s findings, Ms Mordaunt told MPs: “Today, all Members should do what they think is right.”

In a rare instance in the debate, an ally of Mr Johnson piped up, with Conservative Nick Fletcher saying he would vote against the motion.

He urged MPs to remember Boris Johnson is "human" and that during Covid, he "nearly died".

The MP for Don Valley told the Commons: "We must also remember he is a human, too. In addition to running the country, he dealt with the highs and lows that this life brings. During Covid, he nearly died. He got married. He lost his mum and had a child."

He insisted committees like the Privileges one are "set up to fail", adding: "Let me use a football analogy: if Man City's star player had to sit in front of seven of his peers for the hearing, how fair would it be if three of the committee were Man United players? Not very.

"I think if we are going to use MPs as committee members, which I think we should, then they must be of the same party."

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