BORIS Johnson has called for Sir Bernard Jenkin to resign from the Privileges Committee after it was alleged the Tory MP attended a drinks party during coronavirus restrictions.
The committee's 30,000-word report into whether Johnson misled Parliament over lockdown parties at Downing Street is due to be published at around 9am on Thursday morning.
Johnson has long railed against the Tory majority group of MPs he has criticised as a “kangaroo court”, and has already stood down as an MP over their findings.
But on Wednesday afternoon, the Guido Fawkes website reported that committee member Jenkin had himself attended birthday drinks for his wife while London was under tier two Covid restrictions.
At the time, no more than six people were allowed to gather inside.
The website reports Jenkin said he "did not attend any drinks parties during lockdown", but when asked if he had anything to drink during his wife's get-together responded: "I don't recall."
Following the news report, Johnson said: “Bernard Jenkin has just voted to expel me from Parliament for allegedly trying to conceal from parliament my knowledge of illicit events.
“In reality, of course, I did no such thing.
“Now it turns out he may have for the whole time known that he himself attended an event – and concealed this from the privileges committee and the whole House for the last year.
“He has no choice but to explain his actions to his own committee, for his colleagues to investigate and then to resign.”
Lord Peter Cruddas, a Tory donor who Johnson elevated to the Lords, called for the police to investigate.
Elsewhere on Wednesday, the UK Government triggered the by-elections to replace Johnson and Nigel Adams, another former Tory MP who quit last week.
Business in the House of Commons on Wednesday started with Government chief whip Simon Hart issuing the writs for the vacant seats.
Some Labour MPs in the chamber cheered whenHart issued the writ to replace Johnson.
The by-election has to take place between 21 and 27 working days from the issuing of the writ.
Commenting on Johnson's latest intervention, Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “This a typical distraction tactic from Boris Johnson that doesn’t change the fact he broke the law and lied about it.
“The Conservative Party is now in a full-blown civil war, while people struggle to afford to pay their mortgage or get a GP appointment. This whole unedifying spectacle needs to brought to an end as soon as possible.
“We need a General Election now to finally get rid of this chaotic Conservative government.”
