Liz Truss is facing pressure from fellow Tories to scrap the Partygate investigation if she is named as Boris Johnson’s successor on Monday.
Nadine Dorries has called on the frontrunner in the soon-to-end Tory leadership contest to overturn the inquiry into whether Johnson misled the Commons over illegal lockdown gatherings if she becomes prime minister.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, the culture secretary described the investigation as a “witch-hunt” led by “Remainer MPs” who want to “nail the lid down on the Prime Minister’s coffin”. Truss and her new chief whip “should make it their first job to lay a motion in the House to overturn this inquiry”, she added. “She’s going to have to show in her first days how brave she is.”
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Truss signalled during the leadership hustings that she would like to scrap the inquiry. “But,” reported Sky News, “that would engulf her in a cover-up and cronyism row similar to that over Owen Paterson, which badly damaged Mr Johnson”.
And “for what it’s worth”, said Politico, “the official No. 10 line has previously been that the parliamentary process should be allowed to take its course”.
Investigation launched
In June, the cross-party committee of seven MPs formally launched the long-awaited investigation into whether Johnson knowingly misled Parliament over his repeated denials that Covid lockdown rules were broken at No. 10.
Labour grandee Harriet Harman was confirmed as temporary chair of the Commons Privileges Committee despite a last-minute Conservative bid to block her appointment. Tories were “angry that such an ‘overtly political’ figure is leading the probe”, said the Daily Mail.
The inquiry announced that Downing Street staff would be able to give evidence anonymously if necessary, “meaning whistleblowers may be more likely to come forward”, said HuffPost UK.
Were the committee to find against Johnson it would amount to a contempt of Parliament.
“A finding of contempt could put the prime minister’s position in doubt, by allowing MPs to vote on a suspension from parliament, which could itself trigger a recall petition in his Uxbridge constituency,” reported The Independent.
Questions over MP duties
Following his resignation announcement in July, Johnson’s parliamentary private secretary, James Duddridge, confirmed on Twitter that his boss intended to carry on representing Uxbridge and South Ruislip as an MP when he leaves Downing Street.
“It’s unclear if he would simply serve until the next election before stepping down or continue indefinitely under a new prime minister,” said Metro.
Despite no longer being prime minister, if the Privileges Committee were to find Johnson in contempt of parliament that could still impact his position as an MP, as it could lead to either “suspension or expulsion”, said the Daily Express.
As The Daily Telegraph reported in May: “Clerks in the House of Commons are currently debating whether Johnson could be forced to fight a by-election if he is suspended for more than ten days.” The paper cited a piece of legislation passed in 2015 that said MPs can face a recall petition from their constituents if they are suspended by the Standards Committee, “which is a separate but similar Commons committee staffed by the same MPs and several lay members”.
“In practice, Johnson is more likely to resign or call a general election if he faces the prospect of a by-election in his West London constituency,” the Telegraph reported before the prime minister had announced his decision to stand down.
The question is whether there is still the will and appetite to take it that far now that Johnson is about to leave No. 10.
