{"id":1034487,"date":"2023-03-22T12:48:05","date_gmt":"2023-03-22T12:48:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecanary.co\/?p=1654603"},"modified":"2023-03-22T12:48:05","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T12:48:05","slug":"people-are-sickened-by-boris-johnsons-partygate-lies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2023\/03\/22\/people-are-sickened-by-boris-johnsons-partygate-lies\/","title":{"rendered":"People are \u2018sickened\u2019 by Boris Johnson\u2019s partygate lies"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Former prime minister Boris Johnson<\/a> admitted on 21 March that he misled parliament by telling MPs that parties at his Downing Street<\/a> office did not break Covid<\/a> lockdown rules. He claimed<\/a>, however, that he did so in “good faith”. The revelation to the contrary comes from evidence submitted to a parliamentary committee probing the partygate<\/a> scandal.<\/p>\n

‘Made in good faith’<\/h2>\n

Police previously fined<\/a> Johnson for breaking the rules he set for the public. The MP initially insisted that the gatherings were above-board, but has since offered an apology<\/a> for his presence at the party, for which the police fined him. However, as BBC News<\/em> highlighted<\/a>, there were at least eight events Johnson attended that the public know about.<\/p>\n

Johnson is due to go before a cross-party Privileges Committee of MPs on 22 March. The committee will probe<\/a> his 52-page statement to determine whether Johnson was in contempt of parliament. The Privileges Committee shared<\/a> the full document, in which Johnson said:<\/p>\n

I accept that the House of Commons was misled by my statements that the rules and guidance had been followed completely at No. 10<\/p>\n

But when the statements were made, they were made in good faith and on the basis of what I honestly knew and believed at the time.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He also claimed that there’s “no evidence” that showed he “intentionally or recklessly misled” the House of Commons.<\/p>\n

If the Privileges Committee decide on 22 March that Johnson was in contempt, MPs will get a vote on what sanction he could face. This may include a suspension. Any suspension over 10 sitting days could trigger a by-election in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat.<\/p>\n

Johnson lied, thousands died<\/h2>\n

Johnson’s descent into the mire of technicalities for his defence may fool some in parliament, but few in the public are falling for it. Many people recognise that, regardless of the MP’s claims, he was partying while a majority of the public were following Tory guidelines – trying to keep one another safe:<\/p>\n

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3 yrs since I took this pic: the last time I spent with dad before he was taken from us in the cruelest way. Johnson\u2019s defence continues to add to our pain. My dad died alone because we followed rules he made but was too stupid to understand & follow. He must be held accountable! pic.twitter.com\/DE3qxCCn6H<\/a><\/p>\n

— Kathryn de Prudhoe \"\ud83c\udf39\"\"\ud83d\udc99\"\"\ud83d\ude37\"\"\ud83d\udc89\"\"\ud83c\uddec\"\"\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddea\"\"\ud83c\uddfa\"\"\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\" (@de_prudhoe) March 21, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n