Dawn Butler | Johnson’s demise: I feel vindicated

So, the truth came out. The Privileges Committee of MPs recently released its long-awaited report, finding that Boris Johnson deliberately misled the UK House of Commons and the committee over lockdown parties.

Two years ago, in July 2021, I stood up in the House of Commons and called Boris Johnson a liar. I was asked to withdraw my comments and, when I refused to do so, I was thrown out of the Commons and asked to leave the parliamentary estate.

Now, I feel vindicated. But the system must change.

When I first labelled Johnson a liar, I was ridiculed by Tory MPs, criticised by sections of the press, and received a barrage of hateful messages online.

I felt hounded for breaking decorum and rules around language in the House of Commons. It felt to me like calling someone a liar was worse than the lies themselves. What kept me going were the masses of positive messages I received from the public, outweighing abuse.

Before that landmark moment in the House of Commons, I tried every avenue in the book to challenge Johnson’s lies. But our archaic parliamentary system is hard to manoeuvre.

The most frustrating element is the fact that the prime minister is the ultimate arbiter of the ministerial code. When Johnson was prime minister, he was the judge and jury over whether he or any of his ministers had broken the code.

That’s why I have tabled Early Day Motion 1345 stating trust in the code has been eroded and that breaches should be investigated by the House as a whole rather than the prime minister. On my previous EDM on this subject, I received an impressive 105 signatures – I want to do it again.

I hope that, following the Privileges Committee report, it will be a reset for standards in Parliament, starting with the ministerial code, because the system is broken. We need the system to be strengthened and mechanisms put in place to ensure that lies are punished early on.

Many people are saying I am owed an apology. But this was never about me, it was about exposing lies. I think I was successful – beforehand, I was criticised for using the word liar, but now, everyone is queuing up to agree with the conclusions of the committee.

Parliament must learn the lessons. I’ve said it before, and I say it again – Boris is a liar.

- Dawn Butler is Labour Member of Parliament for Brent Central and writes a monthly column for the Weekly Gleaner.