UK parliamentary committee to conclude Boris Johnson ‘partygate’ inquiry

LONDON (AP) — A United Kingdom parliamentary committee is meeting Monday to conclude its inquiry into whether former Prime Minister Boris Johnson misled lawmakers over parties at his Downing Street office that breached COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.

Members of Parliament's Privileges Committee have pledged to continue with the investigation into Johnson's conduct after he unexpectedly quit as a lawmaker on Friday and angrily accused political opponents of driving him out in a “witch hunt.”

The committee is expected to finalise its highly-anticipated report Monday. British media report that the findings could be published in the coming days.

Ahead of the findings being made public, Johnson, 58, said the Privileges Committee told him he will be sanctioned for misleading Parliament over “partygate,” a series of boozy parties and gatherings in his office that broke strict pandemic restrictions that his government had imposed on the country.

He accused the seven-member committee, which has members from both the governing Conservatives and opposition parties, of bias and called it a “kangaroo court.” In response, the committee said that Johnson “impugned the integrity” of Parliament with his attack.

Johnson's successor, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, backed the parliamentary committee Monday.

“This is a properly set up committee that the House (of Commons) has voted to carry out their work,” Sunak's spokesman, Max Blain, said. “The government will in no way traduce or criticise the work of the committee who are doing exactly what Parliament has asked them to do.”

The committee could have suspended Johnson from the House of Commons if he was found to have lied deliberately.

A suspension of 10 days or more means that Johnson's constituents in his suburban London seat could petition to oust him and elect a new lawmaker.

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.