UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered a blow to his leadership on Thursday after lawmakers approved an investigation into whether he lied to parliament over the scandal of revealing parties held at government headquarters.
Boris has been fighting for his political survival since he attested to lawmakers in December that the meetings in Downing Street followed the determinations of the isolation rules that were in place to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Several publications in the press, however, contradicted the British leader’s version, and an internal investigation found the holding of parties with alcoholic beverages during the restrictive period. The case led Boris to admit before Parliament that the events took place and to apologize more than once.
Since the release of the internal report, the police have fined the prime minister, who denies having deliberately lied to the legislature, which would be a reason for resignation, and says he did not realize he was breaking the rules.
According to the parliamentary code, knowingly deceiving the legislature is an offense that must result in resignation. However, analysts see the motion to investigate the case as unlikely to pass, as the prime minister retains the support of a majority of coreligionists.
During the debate on Thursday, politicians on both sides called for Boris to step down, with opposition leader Keir Starmer at the helm. “The Prime Minister has been accused of repeatedly, deliberately and routinely misleading this House about the parties held on Downing Street during the lockdown,” he said. “This is a serious and serious accusation. It amounts to disrespecting parliament.”
A former Conservative lawmaker loyal to the prime minister, Steve Baker accused Boris of breaking the “letter and spirit” of the law, adding that the prime minister “should have known the show is over”. A former minister in the prime minister’s government, Baker was a strong supporter of Brexit, led by Boris, and maintains some influence over Conservative lawmakers after leading their resistance to attempts to dilute the divorce with the European Union.
On the other hand, Boris’ management’s approach to the debate seemed disorderly. An amendment intended to postpone the motion was announced, but was later withdrawn. Lawmakers then backed the measure, according to which his statements “appear to mislead the House” and should be investigated by the Privileges Committee.
The government is now satisfied that any parliamentary investigation will only take place after the police investigation is over, even without the amendment. “I don’t want this to go on indefinitely. But I have absolutely nothing, frankly, to hide,” Boris told Sky News when asked about the investigations during a visit to India.
With approval without objection from conservatives, the episode reignites the debate over the future of the prime minister. The May 5 local elections will serve as a barometer of voters’ confidence in his leadership and how badly it may have been damaged. Boris could still face further fines, in addition to the release of more evidence of parties – the police, however, have already said they would postpone any updates on the case until after the election.
The premier, on the other hand, has seen his position recently strengthened due to his support for Ukraine after Russia’s invasion, as some lawmakers from his party argued that this would not be the time to change leadership. Boris even cited the war in Eastern Europe during his apology to parliament this week after being fined for his birthday party in June 2020.
Other Conservatives, on the other hand, were uneasy at the prospect of opposing further investigation of an issue that has undermined voters’ confidence in the government.
To challenge Boris’ leadership, 54 Conservative lawmakers must write letters expressing their distrust of the prime minister, which would lead to a vote that could remove him from power.
