Opposition MPs say he lied about lockdown parties, but the PM says he has no concerns about the inquiry.
Image source, PA Media
Boris Johnson will be investigated by a Commons committee over claims he misled Parliament about parties in Downing Street during lockdown.
MPs approved the Privileges Committee launching an inquiry once the police have finished their own investigation into the gatherings.
The government had tried to delay the vote, but U-turned following opposition from its own MPs.
Boris Johnson said he had “no concerns” about the committee investigation.
Speaking during a trip to India, Mr Johnson said “if the opposition want to focus on this and talk about it a lot more that’s fine”.
But he said he “wanted to focus on what matters for the future of the country” including boosting trade ties with India, tackling the cost of living, energy, transport and childcare.
Last week, the prime minister – along with his wife and the Chancellor Rishi Sunak – was fined for breaking Covid laws by attending an event in Downing Street to celebrate his birthday.
So far the police have announced they have issued at least 50 fines as part of their investigation.
Mr Johnson had previously told MPs laws were not broken in Downing Street, leading to accusations from opposition parties that the prime minister had misled them.
Under government guidelines, ministers who knowingly mislead the House of Commons are expected to resign.
During a debate before the vote, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the prime minister had “stood at that despatch box and point blank denied rule-breaking took place, when it did.”
‘Orgy of adulation’
Urging MPs to support an investigation, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “The public won’t stomach another Conservative stitch-up that drags our democracy through the mud just to protect one of their own.”
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said Mr Johnson had “lied to avoid getting caught, and once he got caught, he lied again”.
Senior Conservative backbencher Steve Baker accused Mr Johnson of indulging in an “orgy of adulation” and “a festival of bombast” on Tuesday, shortly after apologising to MPs for his rule-breaking.
He said the PM’s “contrition had only lasted as long as it took to get out of the headmaster’s study” and that he should be “long gone”.
After over five hours of debate, MPs were asked if they supported launching an investigation into Mr Johnson.
No one opposed the proposal so the motion was approved without a formal vote.
The lead-up was chaotic; the moment the motion passed was something of an anti-climax.
The significance of what it means, though, is huge: Boris Johnson will become the first prime minister to be investigated for claims he deliberately misled Parliament.
In a political system that largely relies on trust and honesty, that is a big deal.
Pulling the government amendment, and not objecting to Labour’s motion, saved the Conservatives from the temporary embarrassment of some of their own MPs abstaining or even voting with the opposition.
It also saved individual MPs from the prospect of opposition attacks if they had voted to block the investigation.
The chaotic circumstances of the government’s u-turn in itself though suggested an embarrassing lack of grip on the party from Downing Street.
Any respite will also be temporary.
Firstly, the investigation guarantees that the rows over partygate will go on even after the police investigation has finished and Sue Gray’s report has been published.
And if Boris Johnson gets through both of those, this investigation opens the door to a possible new moment of peril for the prime minister, if he were to be found to have misled Parliament and then sanctioned.
What will the Privileges Committee do?
The Privileges Committee will investigate and produce a report stating whether or not they believe Mr Johnson did deliberately mislead Parliament.
If they find Mr Johnson did mislead Parliament they can recommend a sanction which could include a suspension or expulsion from Parliament entirely. They could also recommend he apologises to the House.
MPs will then decide whether or not to approve the report and implement the recommended sanctions.
The Privileges Committee is made up of seven MPs – two Labour MPs, one Lib Dem and four Conservatives.
However, the committee chair – Labour’s Chris Bryant – has recused himself from the investigation as he had already commented publicly on the matter.
The last time the committee found an MP to be in contempt of Parliament was in 2016 when it recommended suspending Justin Tomlinson for two days after he leaked a select committee report to the payday lending company Wonga.
