Boris Johnson calls in lawyers as threat of Commons suspension looms

Those close to him say it is a “foregone conclusion” that he will be found in contempt of parliament

Boris Johnson has called in the lawyers as the threat of a Commons suspension and potential by-election looms. The outgoing Prime Minister is being investigated by the privileges committee investigation over whether he misled parliament Parliament over what he knew about the partygate scandal. Harriet Harman, the Labour chairman of the privileges committee, is starting to gather evidence as part of the inquiry and will look into whether Johnson’s comments to MPs last December, when claims of lockdown-breaking parties in Downing Street first emerged, amounted to contempt of the House of Commons. Those include him saying “no Covid rules were broken” and “all guidance was followed in No 10”. Eventually, dozens of police fines over Covid law-breaking in government buildings were issued by the Metropolitan Police. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPLh_hZHVnQ   According to Times reports, those close to the PM accept it is a “foregone conclusion” that he will be found in contempt of parliament. Some of Johnson’s senior team have all but given up hope of escaping censure after the committee of MPs who will decide his fate concluded that he did not have to have 'knowingly mislead' the Commons to be found in contempt. Harman and the Conservative MP Sir Bernard Jenkin wrote in The Times Red Box: “There have been unfounded allegations about ‘goalposts being moved’ and ‘rules changed’. But this is inaccurate. “The House should be reluctant to allow intimidation and the targeting of individuals to subvert the proper processes. We will not let this succeed.” Johnson had hoped that by arguing he did not deliberately lie he can avoid a suspension from the Commons of more than ten days, which would allow his Uxbridge constituents to petition for a by-election. He is now understood to be taking both legal and political advice on what to tell the committee. It has asked for written evidence and will question him in person when parliament returns. A No 10 spokeswoman said: “It is a longstanding convention across successive administrations not to comment on the fact or contents of legal advice, that may or may not have been sought or received.”

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