The former Prime Minister invokes the parliamentary inquiry into “partygate”, which he accuses of “flagrant bias. »
By HR with AFP
© Dominic Lipinski / MAXPPP / PRESS ASSOCIATION IMAGES/MAXPPP
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I’Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson handed over his mandate as an MP with a bang on Friday evening, citing the parliamentary inquiry into “partygate”, the parties held in Downing Street in violation of Covid-19 restrictions.
Boris Johnson, 58, said his decision was effective immediately, triggering a by-election that ends any prospect of a return for now but also highlights divisions within Tory power, compounding the difficulties of his successor Rishi Sunak one year from the next legislative elections.
Almost a year after being chased out of Downing Street by his majority, Boris Johnson remained under a parliamentary inquiry to determine whether he had deceived Parliament in the “partygate” affair.
A parliamentary report “stinks of prejudice”
The procedure, led by the privileges commission, is in the process of finishing its work and had just, according to the British press, submitted its conclusions to the former leader. “I have received a letter from the Privileges Committee which makes it clear – to my astonishment – that they are determined to use the procedure against me to oust me from Parliament,” the former Tory Prime Minister wrote in a statement. .
READ ALSOPartygate: who is Lord Pannick, the star lawyer who defends Boris Johnson?
“I am very sad to leave Parliament – at least for now – but above all I am appalled that I have been forced to leave, in an undemocratic way,” he added, accusing the committee of “flagrant bias “. In this press release, he accuses the commission of having produced a report which has not yet been published, “riddled with inaccuracies and reeks of prejudice”, without giving him “any formal opportunity to challenge what they say”.
Boris Johnson was forced to resign last summer after a succession of scandals, foremost among which were parties in Downing Street during the confinements imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But the charismatic leader, who was still an MP, remained very influential in the conservative majority.