Boris Johnson has done everything he possibly could to discredit the Privileges Committee’s report on claims that he lied to MPs over partygate. But so far he has met fierce resistance.
After declaring war with allegations of a “witch-hunt” and kangaroo court”, his latest attack was directed at committee member Sir Bernard Jenkin, after a report that he attended a party that broke lockdown rules.
In a letter to Harriet Harman, who chairs the committee, Mr Johnson said if Sir Bernard broke the rules he was no longer a “valid judge” and was guilty of “flagrant and monstrous hypocrisy”.
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Strong stuff. And after earlier accusing Sir Bernard of “a total contempt of parliament” and demanding his resignation from the committee, Mr Johnson wrote: “He should have recused himself.”
And he added, in typical Johnson hyperbole: “I really find it incredible – and nauseating – that this matter is emerging at this stage of the process.”
Nauseating? No doubt the bereaved relatives of COVID victims – already infuriated by the row over concealing WhatsApp messages from the official inquiry – will be nauseated by Mr Johnson’s protests.
Mr Johnson and Sir Bernard used to be Brexit allies. And when Sir Bernard was appointed to chair the powerful Liaison Committee of MPs, which regularly grills the PM, he was seen as a Johnson crony.
But Sir Bernard has since proved he’s no patsy on the Liaison Committee. And it is reported that he voted with the majority of the seven MPs on the Privileges Committee who concluded that Mr Johnson is guilty.
Opposition MPs were quick to denounce Mr Johnson’s 11th-hour attack on Sir Bernard as an act of desperation.
The Lib Dems’ deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “This is a typical distraction tactic from Boris Johnson that doesn’t change the fact that he broke the law and…
