Johnson may finally resign or be sacked after parliamentary probe
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Not a single Tory objected to Boris Johnson being probed by Parliament on Thursday night, he remains on the ropes, and the Brits may finally see his back for his law breaking and legion of lies from Brexit referendum to pandemic lockdowns.
Members of Parliament (MPs) voted unanimously for him to be investigated by the Privileges Committee to see if he had deliberately lied to the House of Commons.
If the committee finds Johnson guilty – as documented in evidence already in the public domain – he is expected to resign under government guidelines for ministers.
If he fails to resign, all MPs could vote to suspend or expel him from Parliament. And that would be it.
Unchecked leaders abuse power. Nigeria is an example
The universal truth is that leaders must be held accountable to prevent tyranny and impunity.
The consequences of failure to hold a leader accountable are all glaring in the case of Muhammadu Buhari, who breaks the law with impunity and encourages his Ministers and other officials to do so, and thereby turns Nigeria into a lawless state.
Buhari has run Nigeria aground in all spheres of life. He has emptied the treasury. He is detached from citizens. He lies. And he does all these and more with impunity.
The Constitution empowers the National Assembly (NASS) to check the excesses of the executive branch of government.
But instead of checking him, he is being aided by the NASS headed by Senate President Ahmad Lawan and his Deputy, House Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila – fellow members of the All Progressives Alliance (APC).
Debt Management Office (DMO) Director General Patience Oniha disclosed on 17 March in Abuja that Nigeria’s total debt rose to N39.55 trillion in December 2021.
Majority of Nigerians blame Buhari for the loans, but Oniha insisted the NASS and other arms of government are also responsible for the growing debt.
“It is not only the President and the Minister of Finance that endorse borrowing. The National Assembly passes the budget which contains how much will be borrowed after budget defence and public hearings.
“Borrowing came from the budget. The figures didn’t just happen. They came from many years of consecutive borrowing authorised by existing laws,” Oniha said.
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Johnson must be held accountable. Britons insist
Investigation of Johnson’s Partygate denials by the Privileges Committee is separate from the Whitehall and police inquiries. It would specifically look at if Johnson purposely misled Parliament, per reporting by The Guardian (UK).
It says Johnson made repeated denials to the Commons that any rules were broken in Downing Street – but Scotland Yard has now put paid to that, and confirmed that parties which breached lockdown laws did take place in No 10 and other parts of Whitehall.
To uncover the truth the committee could call for papers, summon witnesses and – if necessary – recommend a sanction such as suspension or expulsion from Parliament.
This cross-party group of seven MPs has a Conservative majority, but is chaired by Labour’s Chris Bryant. It is not convened very often, but is meant to look at possible breaches of privilege or contempt of Parliament.
Police fines
The BBC adds that Johnson will be investigated by the 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 made a U-turn following opposition from its own MPs.
Johnson said he had “absolutely nothing, frankly, to hide”.
Speaking during an official trip to India, the prime minister added: “If the opposition want to focus on this and talk about it a lot more, that’s fine.”
Last week, Johnson – along with his wife and 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.
Ministerial guidelines
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.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called the government’s U-turn a “humiliating climb-down” that showed Tory MPs “know they can no longer defend the indefensible”.
Speaking after the vote, he added: “Boris Johnson has lost the trust of the public over parties held in Downing Street during lockdown. Now it’s clear he has lost the confidence of his MPs.”
‘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 Johnson had “lied to avoid getting caught, and once he got caught, he lied again”.
Senior Conservative backbencher Steve Baker accused 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 prime minister’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 more than five hours of debate, MPs were asked if they supported launching an investigation into Johnson.
No one opposed the proposal, so the motion was approved without a formal vote.
What the Privileges Committee will do
The Privileges Committee will investigate and produce a report stating whether or not they believe Johnson did deliberately mislead Parliament.
If they find 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.
What Johnson told MPs about parties
When asked whether there was a party in Downing Street on 18 December 2020, Johson told the Commons on 1 December 2021 that “all guidance was followed completely in No 10”.
After the publication of a video showing No 10 staff joking about the 18 December event, he told MPs on 8 December 2021 he had been “repeatedly assured” that “there was no party and that no Covid rules were broken”.
Later that day, he told the Commons he was “sure that whatever happened, the guidance was followed and the rules were followed at all times”.
On 12 January 2022, he apologised for attending a Downing Street garden party on 20 May 2020 but said he had “believed implicitly” it was a work event.
