This afternoon, MPs decide on whether to endorse a report which found that Boris Johnson deliberately misled Parliament over lockdown parties in Downing Street.
The Privileges Committee, a Conservative-dominated body, has recommended that the former prime minister should have been suspended from the Commons for 90 days — had he not resigned his seat.
Rishi Sunak has thus far refused to comment on whether he will approve the report, saying he “would not want to influence anyone in advance of that vote.” That is a curious statement, given that cajoling colleagues, driving debates and making decisions is a core characteristic of leadership.
The matter may be one for the legislature rather than the executive but this is not a politics A-level exam question. It is about the sanctity of our democracy, which relies on the statements made by our politicians being truthful.
Sunak ought not be swayed by his predecessor-but-one’s outsized personality or chequered history. He is the Prime Minister, while Johnson is no longer even an MP. It is time that he takes a stand, not simply because it is politically expedient but because it is also the right thing to do.
Ulez the key issue
Sadiq Khan’s flagship policy to tackle the capital’s toxic air faces two major obstacles at the High Court, and the court of public opinion.
Five Conservative councils are claiming that the Mayor acted unlawfully in the way he proposed to extend the Ultra low emission zone to the Greater London boundary, which is set to come into force on August 29.
As we report in today’s paper, aides say Khan remains “confident” of legal victory at the July hearing. But there is a growing sense that any delay would raise the likelihood that next May’s mayoral and assembly elections will morph into a referendum on the policy.
The Standard supports the Ulez extension, out of a desire to rid the capital of dirty air, given the impact on our health and particularly that of children. But it is clearly a contentious issue, and the Tories plan to make it central to next month’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election.
In his book, Breathe, the Mayor suggested that “the case for tough action on the environment” is one “politicians can win.” We may be about to find out.
Hold the front pages
Our editors, designers and photographers try to make each Evening Standard front page a work of art. But this week we go a step further, when it goes on display at the National Portrait Gallery, which reopens on Thursday.
A portrait of two Fleet Street paper sellers forms part of a show dedicated to photographer Yevonde Middleton. One picture contains a copy of the Standard from March 12, 1932, with a front describing how Chelsea fans prepared for an “all-night coach ride” to watch their side play Newcastle United in an FA Cup semi-final. They lost 2-1.
