Keir Starmer called the prime minister a “shameless man” during fierce parliamentary talks as lawmakers prepared to vote on whether Boris Johnson should be investigated for lying about the Partygate scandal.
Addressing lawmakers for the first time since receiving notice of a fixed sanction for attending a party organized for his birthday in June 2020, Boris Johnson spoke of his humility, but said it did not occur to him that the gathering was a violation of Covid’s rules.
In a furious response, the Labor leader accused the prime minister of dishonesty and said he did not “respect the victim of the British public”.
Tory MP Mark Harper became the last back band to call on Johnson to leave after hearing his apology, saying: “I no longer think he is worthy of the great position he holds.”
MEPs will vote on a Labor proposal on Thursday, prompting an investigation by the House of Commons Privileges Committee into whether Johnson misled parliament on a series of parties attacking the Downing Street blockade.
Starmer called on Conservative lawmakers to seize the opportunity to get rid of Johnson and “restore integrity, fairness and integrity to our politics.”
In a statement to parliament, Johnson said he had broken the rules unintentionally. “It did not occur to me then or afterwards that a cabinet meeting just before a vital meeting on Covid’s strategy could be a breach of the rules. That was my mistake and I unreservedly apologize for it, “he said.
Johnson added that the “injury and anger” caused by the dispute gave him an “even greater sense of obligation to meet the priorities of the British people and respond in the best traditions of our country to Putin’s barbaric attack on Ukraine.” .
He said he discussed the conflict in Ukraine on Tuesday during talks with fellow world leaders, including Presidents Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron.
But Starmer called the apology “sucked in” and accused Johnson of being “dishonest.” Asked by the president to withdraw it as a non-parliamentary language, Starmer said: “The prime minister knows who he is.
Harper also rejected Johnson’s apology, saying: “I’m sorry to say that we have a prime minister who violates the laws he told the country to obey, was not outspoken about it and will now ask worthy men and women about these benches. to protect what I think is indefensible. “
Harper later tweeted that he had already sent a letter of no confidence to Johnson to the chairman of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady.
On Tuesday night, Craig Whitaker, a Conservative MP who had previously called for Johnson to resign, called on the prime minister to turn to the Privileges Committee to prevent Tori from being brought to the brink, in comments to BBC Newsnight.
Despite the prime minister’s call for resignation, Whitaker said he had not sent a letter to the 1922 committee calling for a no-confidence vote.
However, other Tory MPs, who have private reservations about Johnson, said neither the apology nor the Privilege Committee’s proposal to vote on an inquiry had changed their minds.
They remain in the “detention model”, waiting to see if more fines will be imposed, and hope the facts will come out in Sue Gray’s long-awaited report. One Tory talk said they were considering voting for the Privileges Committee’s investigation, but that it would likely be treated as a vote of confidence, meaning they would lose the whip and possibly their place in the next election.
Starmer quoted John Robinson as telling the Guardian last week that he could not hold his wife’s hand while she died or arrange a funeral for her, adding to Johnson: “Anger doesn’t even touch sides. how I feel about this pathetic excuse for a man. ”
Starmer told the humble House of Commons: “If the prime minister had any respect for John and the millions like him who sacrificed everything to follow the rules, he would resign. But he will not do it. Because he doesn’t respect John. He does not respect the self-sacrifice of the British public. He is a man without shame. “
Labor sources said Starmer had returned from an Easter holiday with his family, freshly enraged by the prime minister’s attempts to get out of Partygate.
Johnson will be on a trade visit to India during Thursday’s vote as he seeks to demonstrate to his colleagues that he is doing a good job of running the country.
In a signal that the Conservatives will turn their deputies firmly against the proposal, Cabinet Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg questioned the ability of the Privileges Committee to investigate Johnson’s behavior.
He said it was “a prominent body in the House of Commons, but is chaired by a Labor politician” and added: “I would mean it”. The commission is always chaired by an opposition politician.
According to the ministerial code, ministers who “knowingly deceive parliament” are expected to resign.
The prime minister assured lawmakers in December that “all directions were followed” on Downing Street during the pandemic, a statement that clearly contradicted the decision of the Sofia police to impose a notice with a fixed sanction.
Since then, Johnson has said he deliberately misled lawmakers because he did not believe the rules had been broken. Asked by Tory MP Peter Bone, “Did you deliberately stray the house in the shipping box?” Johnson said, “No.”
Another senior judicial adviser, Steve Baker, who has repeatedly criticized Covid’s government policies, offered to forgive Johnson, stressing the need for “justice, and mercy, and humility” – although he asked Johnson to reassure him that such a thing could not. happened again.
The prime minister and senior government officials may face additional sanctions in the coming weeks as the Metro continues its investigation into blockade gatherings.
After Met completed his work, the government committed to publishing the full report of Gray, a senior government official.
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