Boris Johnson: MPs back Partygate report as just seven vote against

MPs person backed a study that recovered Boris Johnson deliberately misled MPs implicit lockdown parties astatine Downing Street.

The Commons voted overwhelmingly successful enactment of the report, by 354 to seven.

The cross-party committee's study had recovered Mr Johnson committed repeated offences erstwhile helium said Covid rules had been followed astatine No 10 astatine each times.

Several allies of Mr Johnson questioned the impartiality of the committee and said they would ballot against.

Conservative MPs who voted against the report's findings included Sir Bill Cash, Nick Fletcher, Adam Holloway, Karl McCartney, Joy Morrissey and Heather Wheeler, portion 118 Tories voted successful favour.

Former Prime Minister Theresa May was 1 of respective elder Conservatives who supported the report's findings.

No ballot was recorded for 225 MPs, due to the fact that they either abstained oregon did not crook up to vote.

Mr Johnson had asked his supporters not to ballot against the report, with sources adjacent to the erstwhile premier curate arguing it had nary applicable effect present helium has resigned.

But his critics suggested the determination was designed to debar revealing the debased level of enactment for him among Tory MPs.

Instead, immoderate abstained, portion others did not crook up to ballot astatine all.

Johnson allies who spoke successful the statement but did not ballot see Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg and Lia Nici.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak did not be the statement and has refused to accidental however helium would person voted, suggesting helium did not privation to power others.

The Liberal Democrats accused Mr Sunak of "a cowardly cop-out".

The party's lawman person Daisy Cooper said: "His nonaccomplishment to ballot says each you request to cognize astir this premier minister's deficiency of leadership."

The ballot means Mr Johnson loses his close to a parliamentary pass, which gives entree to definite parts of Parliament, arsenic this was 1 of the report's recommendations.

The Privileges Committee of MPs, which has a Conservative majority, was asked to analyse whether Mr Johnson misled MPs implicit what helium knew astir parties held successful Downing Street during Covid lockdowns - dubbed the Partygate scandal.

Its study concluded that Mr Johnson made aggregate deliberately misleading statements to Parliament astir events astatine No 10.

Ahead of the report's publication, Mr Johnson announced helium was quitting arsenic an MP, branding the committee a "kangaroo court".

The committee recovered Mr Johnson had committed further "contempts" of Parliament by attacking the committee, expanding the severity of the recommended sanction.

The committee subsequently recommended a 90-day suspension for Mr Johnson - a agelong prohibition by caller standards - arsenic good arsenic denying him a parliamentary pass, which helium would usually beryllium entitled to arsenic a erstwhile MP.

If helium had inactive been an MP, the suspension could person triggered a by-election successful his constituency.

Speaking during a Commons statement up of the vote, Mrs May said backing the study would beryllium "a tiny but important measurement successful restoring people's trust" successful Parliament.

It was "important to amusement the nationalist that determination is not 1 regularisation for them and different for us", she said.

"This committee study matters. This statement matters. And this ballot matters.

"They substance due to the fact that they onslaught astatine the bosom of the enslaved of spot and respect betwixt the nationalist and Parliament that underpin the workings of this spot and of our democracy."

Mrs May urged her chap MPs to ballot successful enactment of the study "to uphold standards successful nationalist life, to amusement that we each recognise the work we person to the radical we serve, and to assistance to reconstruct religion successful our parliamentary democracy".

During the debate, supporters of Mr Johnson spoke retired against the report's findings.

Ms Nici, who was Mr Johnson's parliamentary backstage secretary, told MPs she could not spot immoderate grounds helium had knowingly misled Parliament.

She questioned the impartiality of the committee and suggested the process was "political opportunism" for radical who did not similar Mr Johnson.

Former curate Sir Jacob, who was knighted by Mr Johnson successful his resignation honours, described the projected 90-day suspension arsenic "a vindictive sanction".

In effect to accusations immoderate Johnson allies had attempted to discredit the committee's work, Mr Rees-Mogg said it was "absolutely morganatic to criticise the behaviour of a committee" and its members.

However, the committee's chairwoman, Labour MP Harriet Harman, said its members had to "withstand a run of threats, intimidation, and harassment designed to situation the legitimacy of the inquiry".

She defended her impartiality, aft Sir Jacob referenced her erstwhile tweets criticising Mr Johnson, saying she had offered to measurement speech arsenic chairwoman aft the tweets emerged but she said she was assured by the authorities she should proceed successful her role.

The contented was pushed to a ceremonial ballot aft a fig of MPs objected to a question successful enactment of the report's findings.

It meant MPs had to spell connected the grounds to either ballot for oregon against - oregon abstain.

It was a escaped ballot for Tory MPs, meaning enactment managers - known arsenic whips - had not instructed them however to vote.

Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt, who opened the debate, said she would ballot successful enactment of the report, adding: "The integrity of our institutions matter."

However, she said "all members request to marque up their ain minds and others should permission them unsocial to bash so".