MPs label the former PM ‘a coward and a disgrace’
Boris Johnson has been branded a “coward” and “a disgrace” for resigning before the publication of the Commons’ partygate investigation.
The former Prime Minister made the shock move on Friday evening after receiving a copy of the report from the Privileges Committee, in which he said it was recommended he be suspended from Parliament.
In a furious 1,000-word resignation statement, he claimed the committee was trying to drive him out of Parliament without producing a “shred of evidence” he misled it and declared war on Rishi Sunak who he accused of squandering the 2019 election majority.
However, MPs from across the political spectrum have derided his statement and accused him of cowardice, deceit and narcissicism.
Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, said: “To me, he is a coward.
“He knows that the Privileges Committee has seen through this fiasco and he has jumped.”
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, she said Mr Johnson could have “defended himself” and “gone to his constituents and fought the suspension” but added “he has decided he is not going to do that because he knows he is in the wrong”.
“And he has never apologised to what he has done to the British people… he has basically been gaslighting the nation, and I think he is a disgrace.”
She also dismissed Mr Johnson’s claims that the Privileges Committee’s partygate inquiry had not been fairly conducted.
“Their report is also subject to a vote in the Commons where the Tories currently have a 66-seat majority, so this idea that he hasn’t been given a fair hearing is absolutely for the birds”, she said. “It is absolute rubbish and tosh, as he would say.”
She said the former PM was trying to “play the victim” when the real victims are those who couldn’t see their relatives during Covid, who sadly passed away while they were in Downing Street having parties.
Sir Ed Davy was equally scathing about Mr Johnson and the party he once lead.
The Lib Dem leader told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I never thought he was fit to be an MP, let alone prime minister.
“He has a track record of deceit and lies.”
He said he hoped the focus would go beyond Mr Johnson to “the whole Conservative Party” and spark a general election.
Sir Ed said: “I think there should actually be a general election. I think the chaos and division in the Conservative Party, the fact that they’re so out of touch on the cost of living, on the NHS, it means we’ve got to put the country out of its misery with these Conservatives.
“I doubt they’ll do it, because I don’t think they’ve got the courage to do it.
“But Rishi Sunak should call a general election and, on the back of Boris Johnson’s resignation, let’s get rid of them.”
Mhairi Black, SNP deputy Westminster leader, said the former No 10 incumbent “jumped before he was pushed”.
Will Walden, who previously worked as Mr Johnson’s spokesman, said his former boss had “seen the writing on the wall” that he could be ousted in a potential by-election triggered by the Privileges Committee’s sanction.
He told Today: “By going, as he has, all guns blazing, he is able to avoid defeat, he is able to blame pretty much everyone else, including it seems anyone that voted Remain in 2016.
“But it is so Boris. He told the committee that if they found against him, he wouldn’t respect the outcome – and so it has proved, there is no great surprise here.”
Sir Chris Bryant, the Labour chairman of the Privileges Committee who recused himself from the investigation due to his vocal criticism of Mr Johnson, said the former PM could be levelled with a new Contempt of Parliament charge over his resignation statement, which Sir Chris described as a “narcissistic rant”.
Mr Johnson accused MPs conducting the inquiry into whether he misled the Commons with his assurances over partygate of a “witch hunt”.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Sir Chris said the report “still stands and will have to go to the House.”
But he added: “They may want to conclude that there has been an additional contempt of Parliament by the way that Boris Johnson has behaved in the last 24 hours and in the attacks on the committee, which are in effect an attack on the whole House.
“I don’t think anybody can now be in any doubt that Boris Johnson holds Parliament in contempt.
“I thought that was evident through the illegal prorogation of Parliament, but it’s certainly true now.”
He said the committee could ask the House “to come to all sorts of different conclusions about the former member Boris Johnson, which would undoubtedly affect how he is seen into the future.”
Sir Chris dismissed Mr Johsnon’s claims the inquiry was acting in a bid to potentially reverse Brexit pointing out Conservative MPs hold a majority on the seven-person panel and include “arch-Brexiteer” Sir Bernard Jenkin.
The former prime minister had, he said, been “very relaxed” about the inquiry being set up and did not raise complaints about its process at the time.
“I presume that what the committee’s report says, since this is what Boris seems to have effectively leaked, is that he lied to Parliament, that that was a culpable offence, and that he should be suspended from the House”, he said, “He had a kind of narcissistic rant and that is fine, but I think in all the breathlessness of this, it is easy to forget quite how significant this moment is.”
A Commons Privileges Committee spokesman said: “The committee will meet on Monday to conclude the inquiry and to publish its report promptly.”
