Former ministers Jacob Rees-Mogg, Nadine Dorries, and Priti Patel were on Thursday named by the Commons Privileges Committee for a “campaign waged against it” over its damning report on Boris Johnson for misleading Parliament over the “partygate” scandal.
The committee criticised a string of MPs and peers for their conduct but was “particularly concerned about attacks mounted by experienced colleagues”.
In an annex they listed some of the attacks on the committee.
They include:
- Former Commons Leader Mr Rees-Mogg on March 22, asked whether he shared the view expressed by some of Mr Johnson’s supporters that the process was a kangaroo court, said: “I think it makes kangaroo courts look respectable.”
- Ex-Culture Secretary Ms Dorries tweeting on June 15: “We also need to keep a close eye on the careers of the Conservative MPs who sat on that committee. Do they suddenly find themselves on chicken runs into safe seats? Gongs? Were promises made? We need to know if they were. Justice has to be seen to be done at all levels of this process.”
- Ex-Home Secretary Ms Patel on 16 March telling GB News “How can a handful of Members of Parliament in a Committee, you know, really be that objective in light of some of the individual comments that have been made. I don’t want to name people, but you know, it is a fact, the lack of transparency—the lack of accountability...I think there is a culture of collusion quite frankly involved here.”
The committee said Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle had prevented abuse of the committee and its processes with a ruling on March 6.
However, the committee, which has a Tory majority and is chaired by Labour MP Harriet Harman added: “But what needs to be addressed is the campaign waged outside Parliament by some Members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords to undermine the Committee.
“Those involved used newspapers and radio and there was extensive use of social media.
“There were many examples but the Committee is particularly concerned about attacks mounted by experienced colleagues, including a serving Minister of the Crown, a former Leader of the House and a former Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and at least three Members of the House of Lords (one of whom is the serving Minister referred to above) who took it upon themselves to undermine procedures of the House of Commons.”
The senior MPs added: “This matter is made more difficult because two of the Members mounting the most vociferous attacks on the Committee did so from the platform of their own hosted TV shows. Attacks by experienced Members are all the more concerning as they would have known that during the course of an investigation it was not possible for the Privileges Committee to respond to the attacks.”
The Committee urged the Commons as a whole to approve its special report criticising the interference on its inquiry into Mr Johnson who quit as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip before its verdict was published that he had deliberately misled Parliament over parties in No10 during Covid restrictions.
It also asked MPs to support the view that members of Parliament should not “impugn the integrity” of the committee or its members or “attempt to lobby or intimidate” them.
The committee also stressed that it would be for the Commons to consider any possible action to be taken against the MPs and peers named in the special report on Thursday.
Given that Rishi Sunak failed to take part in the vote backing the report on Mr Johnson’s conduct, the committee also said if the Government does not table a motion to debate this latest special report in the Commons, then an MP could write to the Speaker asking for this to happen.
