But when the committee released its recommendation in June, it only addressed whether Mr. Johnson had “misled the House,” reducing the burden of proof. Government sources on Thursday night argued that if the committee was a quango, it would be “trialled and found guilty”, but because parliamentary work is protected by privilege, there is no way to stop proceedings. “There’s the problem of testifying anonymously, the problem of not knowing what the case is against you, and the problem of not having legal representation,” they said.
The prime minister’s allies contested the appointment of an inquiry chairman
The privilege committee – made up of seven MPs, four Tories, two Labor and one from the SNP – has already said it wants evidence of Mr Johnson’s “knowledge of activities at 10 Downing Street and in the Cabinet Office under the regulations Covid-19, from the incident. of these events to date’, as well as ‘any information given to Mr Johnson or questions made by Mr Johnson about these events’. The commission also said it would be “willing to receive oral or written evidence from individuals who wish to remain anonymous,” raising the prospect of Johnson’s former or current colleagues testifying against him. The Prime Minister’s allies also questioned the appointment of Labor MP Harriet Harman as chairman, after Labour’s Chris Bryant stood down to ensure fairness over his previous criticism of Mr Johnson. The Telegraph revealed earlier this year how Ms Harman, 71, the Labor MP for Camberwell and Peckham, had suggested in social media messages that Mr Johnson had misled MPs about the illegal parties. It comes as Rishi Sunak on Thursday night promised to “hold down inflation” and provide more cost of living for struggling families in a last-ditch move to Conservative members. The former chancellor said who the base chose as the next leader would be “critical to the future of the party” before voting closed at 5pm on Friday.
