British lawmakers are preparing to investigate whether Prime Minister Boris Johnson lied to Parliament about what he did and didn’t know about parties during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Johnson has shifted his position on whether he knew he was breaking rules his government set for the public in the worst days of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, lawmakers are considering whether they will investigate the prime minister’s statements to determine if he lied to lawmakers.
<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1650541959782,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"00000174-da0c-dc88-a3f4-db2c0f230001","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1650541959782,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"00000174-da0c-dc88-a3f4-db2c0f230001","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_50541939", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"916927"} }); ","_id":"00000180-4bf7-df59-abf3-efff962d0000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video EmbedDespite the Conservative Party’s control of Parliament, Johnson’s colleagues, who are wary of his actions, don’t plan to stop opposition members from calling the vote. Tory members had planned to delay the vote to refer Johnson to the House of Commons Privileges Committee until after Sue Gray, a civil servant, finished her investigation of the so-called partygate scandal, but they appear ready to let it happen now.
BORIS JOHNSON ISSUES ‘WHOLEHEARTED APOLOGY’ OVER PARTYGATE SCANDAL
“There were lots of colleagues that were very unhappy to kill what was being proposed, which is why we’ve ended up where we have,” an anonymous member of Parliament told the Times.
If Parliament does vote on Thursday to investigate Johnson’s claims, it will not begin until after Gray’s report has been published.
Johnson won’t attend the vote if members of Parliament decide to take one on Thursday. The prime minister is in India while he tries to “get on with the job” of governing. Johnson has said voters aren’t particularly interested in partygate and that he wants to focus on more pressing problems, such as the war in Ukraine.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Johnson paid a fine of 50 pounds, or $66, last week for his participation in several parties in 2020 that he claimed he didn’t know broke any laws. The prime minister apologized to the House of Commons on Tuesday.
