UK panel says Conservatives tried to intimidate members over Boris Johnson ruling

[June 29, 2023]  LONDON (Reuters) - A British parliamentary committee on Thursday criticised the behaviour of Conservative Party lawmakers over a ruling that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had lied over lockdown-breaking parties, saying they had sought to intimidate members.  

British Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency Jacob Rees-Mogg and Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries make a statement to members of the media outside Downing Street in London, Britain, July 12, 2022. REUTERS/Toby Melville

Earlier this month, the privileges committee - the main disciplinary body for lawmakers - found that Johnson had deliberately misled parliament in an unprecedented way when he spoke about parties at his office during COVID-19 lockdowns.

That ruling and Johnson's resignation as a member of parliament before the report's publication prompted some of his allies in the governing party to criticise the committee, callings its work a "witch hunt", "a kangaroo court" and "a gross miscarriage of justice".

Eight Conservatives were named for trying to undermine the committee's work, including former interior minister Priti Patel, former business minister Jacob Rees-Mogg and former culture minister Nadine Dorries.

"This unprecedented and co-ordinated pressure did not affect the conduct or outcome of our inquiry," the report said. "However, it had significant personal impact on individual members and raised significant security concerns."

The committee, which has a majority of Conservative members, called on parliament to introduce a new resolution to make sure no lawmakers can "impugn the integrity" of the privileges committee when it has been charged with investigating a matter.

"What members have no right to do, however, is attempt to undermine an inquiry or bring pressure to bear on the members of the Privileges Committee during the inquiry," it said.

Johnson, who in 2019 led the Conservatives to a landslide election victory but left office in disgrace in September 2022, resigned as a lawmaker on June 9, dismissing the earlier report's findings as "a lie" and "a charade". He accused committee members of waging a vendetta against him.

The latest report's conclusions will do little to boost the standing of the Conservatives, who are badly lagging the main opposition Labour Party in the opinion polls before an expected national election last year.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

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