Parliament has voted to uphold the finding of the Commons privileges committee that Boris Johnson knowingly misled lawmakers by claiming all lockdown rules had been followed.
The report last week found that the then-prime minister repeatedly violated the law with his Partygate denials and that if he had not resigned as an MP he should have been expelled from the Commons for 90 days.
Mr Johnson and other Conservative members, including current PM Rishi Sunak, were fined by police for breaking lockdown restrictions - including hosting parties and gatherings.
The motion to uphold the committee’s findings was easily passed 354 to 7 with a number of Tories and Johnson loyalists abstaining. No vote was recorded for 225 MPs.
“We conclude that, when he told the House and this Committee that the rules and guidance were being complied with, his own knowledge was such that he deliberately misled the House and this committee,” the report read.
Mr Johnson, who stepped down as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip after being given advance notice, said it was a “deranged conclusion”.
The report was composed by a group of MPs and is expected to find that Mr Johnson deliberately misled MPs with his assurances that lockdown rules were followed in Downing Street
Mr Johnson previously attacked the seven-person committee, which is chaired by veteran Labour MP Harriet Harman but has a Conservative majority, as a “kangaroo court”.
What is the Privileges Committee?
The Privileges Committee is a cross-party House of Commons body that investigates matters that “may prevent or hinder” the work of Parliament. Its responsibilities include examining instances of MPs being accused of breaking rules. It is there to “consider specific matters relating to privileges referred by the House”.
The committee has been looking into whether Mr Johnson misled MPs about what he knew about parties held in Downing Street during Covid lockdowns.
The committee was established in its current form in 2013. It was once merged with the committee on standards but they have since been split.
Who is the chair?
Labour grandee Harriet Harman is chair of the Privileges Committee. In Parliament since 1982, she is the longest-standing female MP and a former Cabinet minister.
Ms Harman, due to stand down at the next general election, has long been an outspoken advocate for equality in politics and a strong feminist. She has served in numerous government roles and senior positions in Labour under a succession of leaders, and also served as deputy leader.
What about other members?
Sir Bernard Jenkin is another veteran MP. A Conservative, he has been in Parliament since 1992. A veteran Tory Eurosceptic and chairman of the powerful Liaison Committee, he was a critic of Mr Johnson’s handling of the Chris Pincher affair and is an often vocal contributor from the backbenches.
Sir Charles Walker, another member of the committee, is standing down at the next election. Another independently minded Conservative backbencher, he made headlines last year for his emotional criticism of the chaos that engulfed the final days of the Truss administration.
The rest of the committee is made up of Conservative MPs Andy Carter and Alberto Costa, as well as Labour’s Yvonne Fovargue and the SNP’s Allan Dorans.
What powers does the committee have?
The powers of the committee are limited to issuing a report for the Commons for MPs to consider. In its findings, it can conclude that an individual has been found to have “committed a contempt” in misleading the House, and it can recommend imposing sanctions ranging from an oral or written apology to suspension or even expulsion from the Commons.
But it is up to MPs to decide whether to accept the findings of the report and to follow through with any penalty.
Parties have usually not told their MPs which way to vote on reports from the Privileges Committee.
As Mr Johnson has already resigned as an MP, it is not yet clear what penalty the committee will recommend.
