Boris Johnson: What is the Privileges Committee and who are its members?

A study from MPs astir whether Boris Johnson misled Parliament implicit parties astatine 10 Downing Street is expected to beryllium published connected Wednesday.

Committees are bodies successful Parliament which analyse issues specified arsenic laws oregon policies successful much detail.

Its duties see looking astatine cases wherever MPs are accused of breaking rules.

The committee has "privileges" successful its sanction due to the fact that it deals with definite privileges that MPs enjoy. These see immunity from ineligible prosecution for thing said successful Parliament, to let MPs to talk freely.

The committee was established successful its existent signifier successful 2013 successful the House of Commons. Similar enactment was antecedently done by a larger committee called the Standards and Privileges Committee.

Boris Johnson accused members of the committee of having a bias against him, saying: "Their intent from the opening has been to find maine guilty, careless of the facts."

However, 4 of the 7 members of the committee are Conservative MPs (Sir Bernard Jenkin, Sir Charles Walker, Andy Carter and Alberto Costa).

Two members are Labour MPs (Harriet Harman and Yvonne Fovargue) and 1 represents the SNP (Allan Dorans).

The rules authorities the seat has to beryllium a subordinate of the authoritative absorption - i.e. from the Labour party. Harriet Harman was unanimously elected to the station successful June 2022.

The committee tin bid immoderate MP to look earlier it, and necessitate them to manus implicit documents oregon different evidence.

There isn't a acceptable database of punishments it tin recommend, but they indispensable beryllium approved by a ballot successful the House of Commons.

Parties person traditionally not told their MPs which mode to ballot connected specified matters, though determination person been exceptions to this.

The committee tin counsel that an MP beryllium suspended from the Commons. A suspension of much than 2 weeks could trigger thing called a callback petition, which successful crook could pb to a by-election.

In the astir utmost cases it tin urge an MP beryllium expelled.

The committee tin besides necessitate an MP to apologise, oregon urge that the House of Commons ballot to rebuke them. It tin telephone for an MP's wage to beryllium withheld, oregon for nationalist wealth to beryllium repaid.

As Mr Johnson has already resigned arsenic an MP, it is not yet wide what sanctions the Committee volition recommend.

There is inactive expected to beryllium a statement among MPs who volition ballot connected whether to o.k. the study and determination are suggestions absorption MPs whitethorn effort present their ain sanctions.

The operation mostly refers to a radical acting without ineligible authorization which hastily reaches a verdict without considering evidence.

At his grounds hearing, Mr Johnson criticised committee seat Harriet Harman for having "said immoderate things astir this substance earlier speechmaking the evidence".

He was referring to comments she made connected Twitter successful April 2022, erstwhile she said that if Boris Johnson and past Chancellor Rishi Sunak accepted a good for a lockdown breaking party, "they are besides admitting that they misled the House of Commons".

Ms Harman replaced the erstwhile seat Sir Chris Bryant, who decided helium should not pb the probe due to the fact that of his erstwhile disapproval of Mr Johnson's rule-breaking.

No - it tin besides determine if non-MPs person been successful contempt of Parliament.

In 2019, the Privileges Committee examined the refusal of Boris Johnson's erstwhile advisor Dominic Cummings to springiness grounds to different parliamentary committee.