Politics – “Partiget”: Johnson must face an investigation

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing an investigation by the House of Commons committee into alleged lies in connection with the Partigate scandal. On Thursday, deputies approved a similar proposal put forward by the Labor opposition after several hours of debate without a vote.

For Johnson, this is a painful defeat. That morning he had hoped that his group would force the decision to postpone it. But his deputies appear to have thwarted his plans. Even some of his colleagues in the party demanded his resignation. Even Brexit leader Steve Baker said he would vote in favor of the inquiry and called on Johnson to step down. “The prime minister must go now,” he said.

Johnson, who was visiting India on Thursday, immediately refused. “I don’t think it’s the right thing to do,” he said in an interview with Sky News, in which he showed clear nervousness.

After reports of illegal parties in London’s Downing Street being closed during the pandemic, Johnson has repeatedly protested in Parliament that the rules should always be followed. It later emerged that the Prime Minister himself had attended several relevant meetings. Meanwhile, he even had to pay a police fine for letting his employees celebrate his birthday with a cake. More could follow. Johnson is now taking the position that he didn’t realize there were celebrations.

reason to quit

Lying to Parliament is a reason for the resignation of members of the government in Great Britain. If the commission finds Johnson lied, that would be very sensitive. But before the investigation begins, it is necessary to wait for the conclusion of the police investigation first.

Opposition leader Keir Starmer has accused the prime minister of abusing the debate culture in the House of Representatives. According to the rules, deputies are not allowed to accuse each other of lying. Exceptionally, speaker Lindsey Hoyle temporarily rescinded that rule for Thursday’s debate. “The prime minister has stood in this chamber and said things that are not true, relying on him not to be accused of lying because that is not allowed,” Starmer said during Thursday’s debate.

Johnson’s sincerity has long been judged by public opinion. Nearly 80 per cent of British voters believe Johnson lied. This was the result of a poll conducted by opinion research institute YouGov on behalf of Radio Times and published Thursday. Accordingly, only eight percent of voters believe in the conservative prime minister. Even among Johnson’s Conservative supporters, a clear majority (61 percent) are convinced he was incorrect. 2079 Britons of voting age were surveyed on April 19 and 20. (Abba)