MPs who criticized partygate report face loss of seats

Seven politicians were highly critical of the committee's investigation into the former prime minister. Credit: PA Wire

MPs who criticized the Privilege Committee's report on Boris Johnson's partygate behavior now face the threat of losing their seats.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for an investigation into those who called the committee a «kangaroo court» and questioned his findings for contempt of Parliament.

The report says the former Prime Minister deliberately misled Parliament on several occasions with his allegations of parties being held on Downing Street during the coronavirus pandemic, and recommended a 90-day suspension.

>Mr. Johnson, who was also highly critical of the committee, resigned on June 12, three days before his report was published.

On Thursday evening, Sir Ed Davey's party introduced an amendment to a proposal to be debated in the Commons on Monday, calling for critical MPs «to be referred to the Committee of Privileges to consider whether the behavior of these Honorables is a and the venerable. contempt of the House of Representatives and accordingly recommend any sanctions they deem appropriate.»

If an MP is suspended from the House of Commons for more than 10 days, he may be faced with a recall petition, which may call-election.

A Liberal Democrat source said: «Boris Johnson's friends used bully-boy tactics to undermine this investigation at every turn, all to try and get him off the hook for his lies at the party. That's right, they are held accountable.»

The amendment lists offending MPs: Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, former Commons Leader, Priti Patel, former Home Secretary, Nadine Dorries, former Minister of Culture, Andrea Jenkins, MP for Morley and Outwood, Sir Michael Fabricant, MP for Lichfield , Brendan Clark-Smith MP for Bassetlow and Mark Jenkinson MP for Workington.

Seven politicians were named in a special report released by the privileges committee on June 29, which claimed that a «coordinated intervention campaign» had been put into its work.

How did your MP vote for partygate's report? MPs were accused of trying to «undermine» the committee and «pressure members» after they tweeted and gave media interviews questioning the impartiality of Harriet Harman, the former acting leader of the Labor Party who chaired the committee.

Concerns have been raised about Ms Harman leading the investigation after she tweeted: «What about those who say the prime minister 'deliberately lied' but doesn't think he should go? Are our standards really that low?”

Interview with Lord Goldsmith

Last week, Lord Goldsmith resigned as Foreign Secretary after he, too, came under fire from the Privilege Committee for retweeting a tweet in which the investigation was called a «witch hunt» and a «kangaroo trial».

On Thursday evening. , in his first televised interview since his resignation, the former MP for Richmond Park told Channel 4 news: «My opinion is that if this committee were a jury in the usual sense, the jury would be dismissed and replaced almost on the first day.< /p>

“I think it's very difficult to have a hearing like this when almost every member of the committee has expressed their opinion very publicly before they've even seen the evidence. I just think that there is simply no justice in this.”

A Tory source questioned the committee's methods, pointing out that it had not contacted any of the MPs beforehand, asked them for evidence, or told them they would be named in a special report.

They said: » How did they decide which deputies to name and who not to let in? Will they publish the full list and will the rest be sanctioned? They used parliamentary privileges for their own purposes and denied MPs the right to reply.”

On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into a quarantine party hosted by Baroness Jenkin, wife of Sir Bernard Jenkin. who is a member of the privileges committee. The source added: “Why is he not under the threat of recall? Will parliament investigate? Why weren't other MPs who were fined by the police subjected to scrutiny or threats of recall?»

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, is to decide whether the Lib Dem amendment should remain in place until Monday's debate. .