Boris Johnson news - live: MPs to investigate PM over potential partygate Commons lies
PM accused of ‘running away’ from Commons drama with twice-delayed India trip
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Your support makes all the difference.Boris Johnson is set to be investigated for potentially lying to MPs over parties held at Number 10, after a landmark decision by the House of Commons.
This comes after the prime minister rejected a call by former Brexit minister Steve Baker for him to resign over Partygate, insisting that he has “absolutely nothing, frankly, to hide”.
Tory MP claimed the prime minister “now should be long gone” after – in a major U-turn, amid fears of a rebellion – the government backed down from a bid to force its MPs to delay a vote on whether to hold a Commons inquiry into whether he misled parliament, which is now expected to go ahead.
Ahead of Thursday’s debate, Labour threatened to plaster the names of MPs who blocked the probe across election leaflets, and accused Mr Johnson of using his two-day trip to India as a distraction.
Speaking from a JCB factory in Gujarat, Mr Johnson claimed he was “very keen for every possible form of scrutiny” and said MPs “must do whatever they want.”
In the Commons, the SNP’s Ian Blackford branded Mr Johnson a “liar” – and was not ordered to retract his remark by the Speaker.
‘The Prime Minister is a basket case. He must go,’ says David Lammy
Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy tweeted:
MPs allowed by Speaker to call Boris Johnson a ‘liar’ in parliament
The Speaker of the House of Commons has permitted MPs to call Boris Johnson a “liar” during a parliamentary debate, breaking with recent convention.
The unusual step comes as parliament discusses whether the prime minister should face a standards probe for his conduct during the Partygate scandal – and over whether he misled parliament.
MPs are banned from using unparliamentary language in the chamber, which normally includes referring to other MPs as liars.
Jon Stone writes:
MPs allowed by Speaker to call Boris Johnson a ‘liar’ in parliament
‘Liar’ is usually banned in parliamentary debates
We’re pausing live updates for this evening, but will be back tomorrow with all the latest from Westminster...
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