Allies of Boris Johnson have been criticised for putting “improper pressure” on the parliamentary committee investigating the Partygate scandal.
The House of Commons Privileges Committee came under attack from the former prime minister and his allies earlier this month when it ruled that Johnson deliberately misled Parliament over illegal parties held in Downing Street during COVID-19 lockdowns.
Johnson and his supporters, including former culture secretary Nadine Dorries and former Commons leader Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, repeatedly attacked the investigation—which triggered the former PM’s resignation—as a “witch hunt” and “kangaroo court.”
Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg delivers his keynote address during the National Conservatism conference at the Emmanuel Centre in London, on May 15, 2023. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)
Some of them even suggested that Conservative MPs who vote for the committee’s verdict should be deselected as candidates at the next general election….