London Thanasis Gavos

The full session of the British House of Commons is called today to discuss and vote on the Immunity Committee’s finding that Boris Johnson deliberately misled the body regarding partygate.

The debate comes a day after further revelations by the Sunday Mirror about a Christmas party amid pandemic restrictions at Conservative Party HQ.

The Immunity Committee has recommended that the former prime minister be suspended from parliament for 90 days, a sentence that can no longer be implemented following Mr Johnson’s angry resignation from parliament.

However, the proposal also includes the penalty of removing the parliamentary pass from Mr. Johnson, so that he cannot freely enter and move around the premises of the parliament.

Reports say Mr Johnson has asked his supporters in the House not to oppose the conclusion at the end of the debate, meaning it will likely pass without a vote.

The focus is thus on how many Conservative MPs will choose to abstain from the debate and how many will vote in favor of finally ruling that Boris Johnson has misled the House.

Rumors are also rife that Rishi Sunak will find an excuse to abstain from the vote, should it take place, so as not to escalate his feud with Mr Johnson.

The parliamentary debate comes with partygate back in the spotlight, following footage released by the Sunday Mirror on 14 December 2020 of a party with dancing, drinks and food by members of the campaign team of then Tory London mayoral candidate Sean Bailey.

Mr Bailey and his campaign chief Ben Mallet who attended the party are on Boris Johnson’s honors and honors list as former prime ministers, with Rishi Sunak now under pressure to remove them.

The Metropolitan Police, which in the past had been informed about the specific party but without imposing fines, announced that it is aware of the visual material and is examining it.