Boris Johnson's last stand - Career ruining privileges committee enquiry

Today Boris Johnson, former Prime Minister, was grilled (literally) for three and a half hours by the Privileges Committee. An enquiry as to whether BoJo misled Parliament; either unintentionally, recklessly or intentionally over the partygate scandal. He said, repeatedly, that all rules and guidance were followed during whatever parties were happening.

I watched it all and it was painful for him, he was flustered and nearly lost it a few times. I think he will be declared as having recklessly misled the House of Commons... how heavy will be his punishment, I don't know. However you spin it, I think his political career is well and truly over.

I was half expecting him to BYOB - a nice Chianti in a fiasco would have been appropriate.



Here are some snippets from The Guardian summary article and the whole session on YT.

www.theguardian.com...

Boris Johnson faces being formally reprimanded for recklessly misleading parliament after MPs investigating the Partygate scandal denounced his “flimsy” explanations and suggested he had wrongly interpreted Covid guidance.

Harriet Harman, the chair of the privileges committee investigating whether Johnson deliberately misled MPs over lockdown gatherings, expressed dismay at the “flimsy nature” of assurances he received that events were within the rules.

He strongly defended multiple lockdown events as having been “essential”, including one where he was pictured raising a glass at a leaving do. However, he admitted on social distancing guidance: “I’m not going to pretend that it was enforced rigidly.”

In newly released evidence from the committee, Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, denied giving Johnson any assurances that Covid rules and guidance were followed at all times in No 10. He said he was unaware of anyone else there giving assurances either.

In one heated set of exchanges, Johnson refused to explicitly disown supporters, who have called the committee “a kangaroo court”, arguing that the best way the MPs could prove their fairness would be to exonerate him of any wrongdoing. Footage of the session showed his lawyer, Lord Pannick, raising his eyebrows and shaking his head.

The stakes for Johnson are high. If the committee decides he “recklessly” misled MPs, he faces being suspended from parliament. A suspension of 10 sitting days or more triggers a recall petition that could lead to a byelection in his west London seat.

If the above video doesn't work, then here is the link to the session directly on the Parliament live website.

www.parliamentlive.tv...

a reply to: Encia22

I think it's much ado about nothing , the people at the gatherings were No.10 staff and adding alcohol to a gathering does not make a party.

Harriet Harman, the chair of the privileges committee

Anti-Brexiters out to get their pound of flesh , they've already got their man into the top job.

a reply to: gortex

The question isn't about the nature of the parties, meeting, gatherings, etc. The problem is he kept saying to MPs the lockdown rules and Covid guidance had been followed... which definitely were not.

The two most probing and embarrasing (for Boris) interactions came from two Conservative MPs.

Boris swore on the Bible but was lieing through his teeth, tripping himself up.

a reply to: Encia22

didn't he try to walk away from all this, but they called him back?

a reply to: network dude

B.J. doesn't walk away from anything, at most, he slithers.

The enquiry began about a year ago, the committee only received his defence dossier two days ago.

a reply to: network dude

Like your boy he has aspirations of making a glorious come back and that sits uneasily with some.

originally posted by: gortex
a reply to: Encia22

I think it's much ado about nothing , the people at the gatherings were No.10 staff and adding alcohol to a gathering does not make a party.

Harriet Harman, the chair of the privileges committee

Anti-Brexiters out to get their pound of flesh , they've already got their man into the top job.

I've seen pictures. More than ten people gathering with alcohol and no masks.
Meanwhile loved ones died alone because the plebs were in lockdown and not allowed to visit dying, scared family members. I still have tears in my eyes.

Hope they all rot for this. And yes in those days this was a party and even if it was just a marry get together, they broke their own rules.

Are you really ok with that?

It was despicable.

I listened to a few live snippets and I felt that some of the questions were antagonistic and confrontational. The Guardian analysis which you quote is from a part of the media which hates Boris, so will paint this all against him.

Not supporting Boris, but this exercise is just crass politics which only a small part of the political bubble is interested in. Most people are fed up with all of this, and the media / political attempts to keep the issue going into the next century. Other politicians who broke the rules are giggling into their babycham.

a reply to: gortex

At the time I had a family member who deteriorated pretty much alone over several months, luckily restrictions lifted somewhat just before death... Others didn't get that 'luxury'.

At the time I also knew people who would've killed for a bit company and a pint with a friend, some of them did, suicide.

So no. It isn't much to do about nothing. It's about a bunch of Tory twats that pissed on us and told us to stay in doors because it's raining. They literally destroyed lives while flaunting the rules they claimed were oh so important.

originally posted by: RAY1990
It's about a bunch of Tory twats that pissed on us and told us to stay in doors because it's raining. They literally destroyed lives while flaunting the rules they claimed were oh so important.

A number of politicians from all parties broke the rules, although Kier Starmer who held a boozy gathering with a police commissioner managed to escape unscathed, which just goes to prove that it's not what you know, but who you have a beer with that counts.

a reply to: paraphi

Yes, I agree about the Guardian. I often just use that source because it's free - no paywalls.

In any case, I followed the buildup to the inquiry and read B.J.'s 52 page defence dossier; I didn't want to be influenced by the media before watching it.

After watching the whole session, I came to my own conclusions. Yes, the panel was antagonistic, but I think because they have been attacked and called a Kangaroo Court my some Tory MPs and supporters. Those same Mps could have objected a year ago when the House of Commons voted on whether or not to have the inquiry; no one objected. To be as impartial as possible, even Chris Bryant stood down as chair of the Committee because he felt he was biased against Boris. And remember, the Committee is composed of 4 Tory Mps, 2 Labour and 1 SNP.

Also, B.J. didn't start well by accusing the new Chair, Harriet Harman, of being biased. He did it both in writing in his dossier and at the start of the inquiry. Finally, I believe the questions were fair and logical, it was Boris who tripped over himself, raised his voice and blabbered on, repeating his only line of defence that he didn't believe rules were broken, that no one told him otherwise and that he was assured by political aides and the Cabinet Secretary that everything was hunky-dory; when, In fact, Simon Case, the Cabinet Secretary, has now denied ever having giving Johnson those assurances.

Even in the face of the irrefutable facts and evidence, and notwithstanding he was given one last opportunity to "correct the record" properly at the end of the inquiry, he insisted he was right and should be exonerated.

To really appreciate how lost he was, I suggest to watch the whole thing. I know it's long, but it was enlightening.

I'm with you about all this drama being dragged out and people being fed up. Hopefully, this will be the end of the saga.

a reply to: paraphi

Yep it's a joke all round.

He's a scapegoat. Make no mistake about it their was far too many people whose ego said "I'm important enough to be disregarded" and I expect them to point. I also expect Boris to shrug.

Not the kind of people I'd beer with tbh, even in a lockdown.

Does anyone really think Boris cares?

He's an egotistical narcissist and serial liar who is consumed with self-promotion and advancement.
He believes he is above the law - I think in his own mind he genuinely thinks he hasn't done anything wrong.

Anyone seen how much he has earned since being removed as PM?

a reply to: Freeborn

For a moment, I thought you were discussing Gary Lineker

Cheers

originally posted by: Freeborn
Anyone seen how much he has earned since being removed as PM?

Whether you like Boris, or not - and you @Freeborn clearly don't , many people do like Boris. He's also got out-of-politics interests, which means he has a bit more to him than career politicians who have known nothing else.

Johnson's earnings are detailed in the Register of Financial Interests... which is here...

For the record, I am not a fan of Boris, but I think that the media obsession in him enables them to avoid focus on other politicians who have done questionable things e.g. over Covid, or accepting bags of money from Chinese spies, or negligence over child grooming etc... Thus, is this a media problem or a Boris problem?

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

I was quite surprised no-one seemed to comment on the Gary Lineker affair.....I found it all mildly amusing.

a reply to: paraphi

Yeah, you're right mate....I don't like Boris Johnson.
But he's not unique in that, I can't think of many politicians I have much of a liking for.

And I also believe that his buffoonery has no doubt served as a distraction and deflected away from the nefarious doings of many of those pulling the strings.
No doubt he's getting some sort of payback for that now.