Boris Johnson and his allies have been accused of trying to “bully” and intimidate an investigating committee of MPs ahead of his showdown televised grilling on Partygate on Wednesday.
Senior Conservatives joined Labour in urging the Johnson camp to stop “disgraceful” efforts to undermine the privileges committee – warning that it “borders on contempt of parliament”.
Mr Johnson’s legal team finally handed a defence dossier to the committee on Monday, but his rebuttal of allegations that he lied to parliament is not expected to be published until Tuesday after redactions are made.
With the former PM’s political future on the line, his allies have repeatedly lashed out at the inquiry – calling it a “McCarthyite witchhunt” and pressuring four Tory MPs on the cross-party committee to quit.
Writing for The Independent, former Tory attorney general Dominic Grieve said the group of eight MPs would act impartially and “should not be deflected from irrelevant bluster” by the Johnson camp.
Mr Grieve added: “It’s a central feature of Johnson’s career that he has a unique capacity to sully everything he touches … away from parliament he has been shown repeatedly to be a liar.”
Mr Johnson is understood to have claimed in his fightback dossier that the committee is both “unlawful” and politically biased – pointing to chair Harriet Harman’s previous tweets suggesting the ex-PM “knowingly lied” about parties at No 10.
The ex-Tory leader’s close ally Conor Burns, former Northern Ireland secretary, questioned Ms Harman’s impartiality on Monday, suggesting that she had “predetermined” views on the matter.
It follows Conservative Post – a website affiliated with Lord Cruddas’ Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO) – urging party members to email the four Tory MPs who sit on the committee and urge them to quit the “banana republic” inquiry.
One senior Conservative MP accused Mr Johnson and his allies of trying to “bully” the committee in a way that “borders on contempt of parliament”.
The Rishi Sunak backer told The Independent: “To seek to interfere with due process – to try to cheat the process – is a serious issue. It could backfire when it comes to MPs and the mood to punish him. If you keep making out this out to be a kangaroo court, it shows you just don’t get it.”
Another senior Conservative MP said the pressure put on by Johnson allies was “totally disgraceful”, while Tory MP Nigel Mills told The Independent: “It smacks of desperation. They’re attacking the referee before kick-off.”
Tobias Ellwood, chair of the defence select committee, told The Independent that the committee would not be “dazzled or distracted”, warning Mr Johnson and his allies: “Any sign of impropriety will paint all of parliament in a poor light.”
Sir Keir Starmer also accused Mr Johnson of trying to “intimidate” the MPs investigating him over the Partygate scandal.
With the backing of the Labour leader, shadow Commons leader Thangam Debbonaire told The Independent that the former PM has shown “utter disdain for standards in public life” by trying to “discredit” the inquiry.
The Lib Dems’ deputy leader Daisy Cooper compared moves to undermine the inquiry to Donald Trump. “Johnson’s attempts to discredit its work are Trumpian – and proof that he was never fit to hold office in the first place.”
The Independent understands the 50-plus page Johnson dossier, a lengthy submission by his barrister Lord Pannick KC, is likely to be published until Tuesday, as lawyers comb through the document to make appropriate redactions to protect the identity of some witnesses.
A spokesperson for the panel of MPs said: “The committee intends to publish this as soon as is practicably possible. The material will be published on the committee website.”
It is expected to include a message from his then-communications director Jack Doyle offering him a “line to take” on gatherings ahead of telling MPs no guidance or rules had been broken.
But in their recent, damning 20-page interim report, the privileges committee poured scorn on the fact that Mr Johnson’s key claim – that all Covid rules were followed – came from a special adviser and was not “a general assurance (that) no guidance or rules were broken”.
Tory pollster Lord Hayward said on Monday that any attempt to bring back Mr Johnson as Tory leader would be viewed as “an utter joke” by voters. The peer said Mr Sunak “has the potential to drag the Conservatives up” if he can cut through “all the noise of other things”.
If found to have lied to parliament, MPs would have to vote on the sanction. If a suspension of at least 10 days is imposed, Mr Johnson could face a recall petition from his constituents that could trigger a by-election.
Mr Sunak has made clear that he would not use the Tory whip to exert pressure on his colleagues ahead of any vote in the weeks ahead.
On Monday his official spokesperson endorsed Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt’s warning that “a very dim view will be taken” of anyone who “tries to prevent” the committee from carrying out its work.
Former chancellor Tory George Osborne said on Channel 4’s The Andrew Neil Show that it was “not clear” the PM would campaign for Mr Johnson if he faces a by-election.
