Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Israeli occupation forces said that "ceasefire in Gaza begins to be re-implemented."
Israeli media: 'Israel' to halt entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza until further notice.
Al Mayadeen correspondent: One woman was killed and several children were injured as a result of Israeli bombing of displaced Gazans' tents in the Mawasi area of ​​Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip.
Al Mayadeen correspondent in Gaza: An Israeli airstrike targeted the eastern areas of Jabalia, north of the Gaza Strip.
Al Mayadeen correspondent in Gaza: An Israeli airstrike targeted Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.
Al-Qassam Brigades: Communication has been severed with what our remaining fighters (if any are still alive) in Rafah, which is currently under occupation's control.
Al-Qassam Brigades says continues to abide by ceasefire, no knowledge of developments in Rafah.
Israeli media: Reports of two IOF soldiers killed in military vehicle explosion in Rafah.
Israeli media: Israeli soldier killed, another wounded in explosion in Rafah.
Medical sources in West Bank: Palestinian killed by occupation fire; wounded and left to bleed while ambulance crews were barred from reaching him in Al-Ain refugee camp, west of Nablus.

Partygate saga: Senior Tory MPs rebuke Johnson: ‘He’s gone full Trump’

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 5 Mar 2023 09:47
4 Min Read

Several senior Conservative MPs are shocked after Johnson accused the independent Commons privileges committee of an “outrageous level of bias.”

  • x
  • Boris Johnson is to give evidence at the inquiry this month. (Reuters)
    Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson (Reuters)

Tory support for Boris Johnson is dwindling, with party leaders comparing his response to a cross-party parliamentary inquiry into whether he misled MPs about "Partygate" to the lies of former US President Donald Trump.

Several senior Conservative MPs expressed shock after Johnson and his dwindling band of allies questioned the work of the independent Commons privileges committee and accused it of an "outrageous level of bias" after it said on Friday that there was a significant volume of evidence suggesting that the former Prime Minister may have misled parliament.

A senior MP, who is well informed about Partygate, said, in reference to Johnson and his allies, that  “they have gone full Trump. It is wicked. Where will this end? They are desperate.” Another grandee said Johnson was “just like Trump, saying black is white, white is black."

On his account, Tory chair of the military select committee Tobias Ellwood said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had demonstrated real leadership with last week's agreement on the Northern Ireland protocol but cautioned that Johnson might damage the progress.

Ellwood continued, in regard to the ex-PM's behavior, "If we now keep unified and disciplined, we could win the general election, but not if this current diversion turns into a Trumpian drag anchor."

Other senior Tory members suggested that Johnson may have committed contempt of parliament in the last 48 hours alone by insulting, deriding, and undermining the work of a committee set up by the Commons to investigate whether he had told the truth to MPs.

Sir Bob Neill, Tory chair of the all-party justice select committee and a lawyer, said, as quoted by The Observer, “It is wrong for anyone to try to undermine the work of a parliamentary committee.”

Friends of Johnson claim that the appointment of former civil servant Sue Gray, who conducted the inquiry into Downing Street lockdown parties last year, as Johnson's chief of staff by Labour leader Keir Starmer demonstrated that Partygate was a politically motivated plot to depose a Brexit-supporting PM and benefit Labour.

MPs who support Johnson plan to ask urgent questions about Gray's appointment in the Commons on Monday, which one described as a "constitutional scandal that fundamentally destroys the civil service," according to The Observer.

Related News

UK Byelection triggered after vote to remove MP Margaret Ferrier

UK government loses legal battle over Johnson's Covid messages

The government advisory committee on business appointments (Acoba) is set to push Gray's start date back by up to two years to address concerns about potential conflicts of interest, stretching it past the next general election.

Nevertheless, as Johnson's supporters accused it of holding a "political show trial," the privileges committee released a statement clearly denying that it had relied on Gray's assessment to make its own interim findings.

It claimed that none of the evidence gathered from witnesses belonged to Gray and that it had all been independently verified and collated.

According to committee sources, lawmakers have not and will not take Gray's testimony. They stated that the evidence includes written testimonies from 23 witnesses, WhatsApp communications, images from the official Downing Street photographer, and other government-provided information. "It is completely incorrect to imply that what there is [is] from Gray," a lawmaker added.

Downing Street refused to comment on whether Rishi Sunak would continue to support the privileges committee. According to sources, it is completely independent of the government, thus commenting on its activity would be wrong.

The committee issued a 24-page report on Friday, claiming that violations of [lockdown] instructions would have been "clear" to Johnson at the time of the gatherings.

Johnson replied to the initial report on Friday by claiming that it "vindicated" him because it found "no evidence" that he lied to parliament.

In his first response to the committee’s findings on Friday, Johnson said, “The committee has produced a report which I believe totally vindicates me because there is no evidence whatsoever that when I stood up in parliament I said anything I did not believe and therefore there is no contempt."

He added that it was “surreal to discover that the committee proposes to rely on evidence culled and orchestrated by Sue Gray, who has just been appointed chief of staff to the leader of the Labour party."

Read next: 'Hasta la vista, baby!' Johnson says goodbyes to parliament

  • Partygate
  • Trump
  • Tories
  • UK
  • Johnson

Most Read

Iran strikes secret Israeli-US bunker under Tel Aviv high-rise

Tel Aviv high-rise struck by Iran hid Site 81, secret US-Israeli base

  • Politics
  • 14 Oct 2025
drop site

New report details extensive Israeli arson in Gaza after ceasefire

  • Politics
  • 13 Oct 2025
Illustration of fists breaking shackles, representing the liberation of Palestinian detainees from Israeli prisons. (Illustrated by: AL Mayadeen English/Batoul Chamas)

4 prominent Palestinian detainees to be freed: Who are they?

  • Palestine
  • 13 Oct 2025
2K Palestinian detainees freed, defy occupation with mass welcome

2K Palestinian detainees freed, defy occupation with mass welcome

  • Politics
  • 13 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Russian banks begin accepting Iranian LCs to boost bilateral trade
Economy

Russian banks begin accepting Iranian LCs to boost bilateral trade

IOF admit to the killing of two soldiers in Gaza
Politics

Israeli occupation forces says two soldiers killed in southern Gaza

President Donald Trump attends a lunch with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Politics

Trump: No Gaza troops, no more arms to Ukraine, tariffs on China

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks in a meeting with ambassadors and representatives of foreign countries in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Politics

Iran-China-Russia alliance to counter EU snapback move: Tehran

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS