If Mr. Johnson is found guilty, the Privileges Committee may propose sanctions, including verbal or written apologies, removal from the House – which will take effect immediately – or even expulsion.
For example, in 1999 the commission removed three MPs from the municipality – for three, five and 10 days – after it was established that the committee’s reports had expired.
However, the council of the commission is not binding and therefore any proposed punishment will have to be put to a vote in the Municipality.
This means that the government can force its deputies to vote against the imposition of sanctions, although such a move would carry its own political risks.
If Mr Johnson is removed for 10 days or more, he could be the subject of a withdrawal petition and eventually lose his seat.
Sir Bernard Jenkin, MP from the Harwich and North Essex Conservatives
Sir Bernard Jenkin, the top member of the committee, could be key to deciding the fate of the prime minister. After Labor MP Chris Bryant resigned as chairman of the inquiry, Sir Bernard was confirmed as his deputy.
A longtime ally of Boris Johnson, he is a Brexite supporter who helped create Vote Leave. Although he has sometimes criticized the government, he is not considered a rebel. He was first elected in 1992 and was deputy chairman of the Conservative Party from 2005-6. He previously held four positions in the shadow cabinet, and served as an opposition spokesman on various issues, including the environment, transport and constitutional affairs in the late 1990s.
He is also the chairman of the liaison committee, the only one with the power to call the prime minister as a witness. He took over the role after being nominated by the government, which initially led to criticism that his support for Mr Johnson would mean that he would not be able to hold him accountable. But Sir Bernard has since been praised for ensuring that the prime minister does not have an easy trip when he is withdrawn for questioning.
During a tumultuous session of Municipalities in late January – in which Andrew Mitchell, the former cabinet minister, called on Johnson to resign from the party – Sir Bernard warned that “the back seats of the Conservative Party do not need reminders of how to get rid of a failing leader “. He called on the prime minister to “focus on the fact that the country wants results” when restructuring Downing Street.
He did not publicly criticize the prime minister for attending parties, telling his local newspaper in December that “where there was a party is a hypothetical question.” But he added that “the impression this has made on the public is extremely unfortunate.”
He told Harwich and Manningtree Standard that Boris Johnson “did the only thing he could do to clarify this, he asked the cabinet secretary to investigate and apologized.”
Sir Bernard continued: “But any punishment will depend on whether a law has been broken or whether any rules or codes have been broken and how responsible they have been. We’ll just have to wait until the investigation is over. “
Alberto Costa, MP from the Conservatives in South Leicestershire
Alberto Costa is Suela Braverman’s parliamentary personal secretary, the chief prosecutor. Although not officially on the government’s payroll, his role as assistant minister means he is considered part of the Downing Street political operation and is expected to vote with the government or resign.
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