Why Westminster can’t stop talking about Boris Johnson … again
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Loading... - Irene Floris
- 21 Mar 2023
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The ex-prime minister’s Partygate fightback explained.
Love him or hate him, Westminster just can’t get enough of Boris Johnson.
The ex-prime minister left office almost nine months ago, but he continues to loom large over British politics — and this week he faces a high-profile parliamentary grilling over his response to the Partygate scandal that helped topple his government.
So what’s this Partygate showdown all about?
Johnson, his wife Carrie and even current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak were among those to be issued fines by the Metropolitan Police after the force judged that they had broken the law by attending parties on government property while the U.K. was still facing strict COVID-19 curbs.
It became known as the Partygate affair, and was subject to a damning report by then-top civil servant Sue Gray (more on her in a bit) which further rocked Johnson’s shaky administration.
Wednesday’s marathon hearing of the cross-party House of Commons privileges committee — led by Labour veteran Harriet Harman — isn’t about whether or not those rule-busting gatherings happened, but whether Johnson misled parliament over what he knew, and when, about the matter. The session is likely to last for several hours, so bring popcorn.
What’s the case against him?
In their initial update earlier this month, the privileges committee said Johnson may have misled the House multiple times. Read More…
