‘Partygate’ affair: symbolic gossip in parliament for Boris Johnson

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The House of Commons in London on Monday evening voted overwhelmingly in favor of the conclusions of a parliamentary committee on the statements made by the then head of government in the ‘Partygate’ affair. Only 7 MPs from Johnson’s Conservative Party voted against the resolution, but 118 voted in favour. The majority of the 352-member Tory faction abstained, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and most of the prominent cabinet members.

A total of 354 MPs agreed, the House of Commons has 650 seats. The vote is considered symbolic and has little direct impact because Johnson had previously resigned his mandate.

Sunak is accused of weak leadership

The opposition accused Prime Minister Sunak, whom Johnson supporters blame for his end, of weak leadership. “Sunak promised integrity, but when it came down to it, he was too weak to even show up,” said Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper. Sunak had not wanted to publicly commit to a decision and apologized for this, saying he did not want to influence the vote.

The mostly conservative parliamentary committee concluded in its report that the then prime minister had repeatedly lied to the House of Representatives in the ‘Partygate’ affair about banned celebrations during the corona pandemic. Johnson, who turned 59 on the day of the debate, anticipated parliament’s recommended 90-day suspension by resigning. With the vote, the House of Representatives withdrew its Kamerpas, to which former MPs are actually entitled. Johnson had criticized the report and insulted the committee members.

Johnson more popular than Sunak

According to polls, Johnson remains more popular than Sunak among the Conservative party base. Many Tory members view the populist as a gifted campaigner, without whom the party would have no chance in the general election scheduled for 2024. With the resignation of Johnson and three other Tories from the House of Commons, in a few weeks by-elections in these constituencies. Should the Conservatives lose their mandate – as polls suggest – the pressure on Sunak is likely to increase further.

Johnson has already made it clear that he does not consider his political career over. “Winston Churchill only became prime minister at the age of 65,” he is said to have repeatedly told confidants, according to the Sunday Times newspaper, referring to his great role model. There is speculation that Johnson could try to run in another constituency in 2024 – against Sunak’s wishes. If he were subsequently re-elected to the House of Commons, he would also get his parliamentary pass back.

Columnist at the Daily Mail

First of all, the former prime minister will probably harass the incumbent head of government from the sidelines with loud statements. Shortly after his departure from parliament, the Conservative tabloid “Daily Mail” announced that Johnson would write as a columnist in the future. The politician reportedly earns £1 million a year for it. In his first post last Saturday, Johnson discussed the effects of a “magic bullet” for weight loss, which he says is also being used by cabinet members.

Observers say Prime Minister Sunak now hopes the vote will end the protracted “Partygate” debate. With the NHS’s ailing health care and the crisis surrounding the rising cost of living due to high inflation and rising mortgage rates, the head of government is faced with a host of problems.

But the fallout from the scandal-ridden Johnson years is likely to haunt Sunak. Recently, there have been demands that he then turn down two of Johnson’s promotion offers. A video released this weekend shows employees of Shaun Bailey, then Conservative mayoral candidate for London, breaking corona rules at a lockdown party. Bailey becomes a member of the House of Lords at Johnson’s request. A man from the video receives a prestigious honorary doctorate. (SDA)

Source: Blick