Boris Johnson will face parliamentary scrutiny after members of parliament voted in the House of Commons on Thursday in favor of an inquiry into whether the British prime minister broke coronavirus restrictions by attending illegal gatherings, partygate to the scandal is called.
When Johnson was miles away in India on a two-day bilateral visit, lawmakers shouted “Aye” to Parliament’s Committee of Privileges on whether the UK prime minister had deliberately misled parliament.
The vote, introduced by the opposition Labor Party, passed without the need for a formal vote because the Conservative Party benches had little participation after the ruling party dropped a planned amendment to delay the motion. Under parliamentary rules, UK government ministers are expected to resign to deliberately mislead MPs and to correct records as soon as they inadvertently misinform Parliament.
Speaking in Ahmedabad, Johnson said “if the opposition wants to focus on it and talk too much about it then that is fine” but he focused on “what matters to the future of the country”. Wants to do this, including increasing trade relations with India.
Britain’s Cabinet Office minister Michael Ellis defended Johnson in the Commons during the debate, saying the UK PM did not mislead the Commons but commented “in good faith” about the PartyGate disclosures.
He added that the prime minister “has always been clear that he is happy to face whatever inquiries Parliament deems appropriate”.
“He has responded to the incident for which he has received a fixed penalty notice,” Ellis said.
The fixed-penalty notice refers to a fine, believed to be worth GBP 50, that was issued by Scotland Yard to Johnson last week after he was found to have violated lockdown rules on his birthday in June 2020 .
His wife, Carrie Johnson, who brought the cake to the cabinet room in Downing Street that day, and UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who said it was for a meeting, were also fined by the Metropolitan Police. The trio immediately paid their fines and apologized in view of the notice.
Labor leader Keir Starmer accused Conservative MPs of failing to stand up for the values of “honesty and integrity” and said “the UK deserves better” than Johnson.
Labor deputy leader Angela Rainer reiterated her party’s call for the PM to resign, telling lawmakers that “the prime minister is taking the Conservative Party down the sewer”.
Urging lawmakers to support an investigation, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “The public will not stomach another Conservative stitch-up that drags our democracy into the mud just to protect its own one.” is.”
Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Ian Blackford said Johnson “lied to avoid being caught, and once caught, he lied again”.
After more than five hours of debate, lawmakers were asked whether they supported launching an investigation into Johnson and as no one opposed the motion, the motion was approved without a formal vote.
The confrontation stems from Johnson’s initial statement to the Commons which insisted COVID lockdown rules were being followed at Number 10 Downing Street in the wake of earlier partygate allegations. His Tory party allies stand with him, with only a handful within the Conservative Party criticizing him.
Therefore, a parliamentary vote on the issue was expected to go in Johnson’s favour, but a further dent in his leadership came ahead of the local council and mayoral elections due on May 5.