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| Boris Johnson allies voice fury at ‘vindictive’ Partygate report | Boris Johnson allies voice fury at ‘vindictive’ Partygate report |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Some make threats that Tories who endorse privileges committee’s finding could face deselection | Some make threats that Tories who endorse privileges committee’s finding could face deselection |
| Boris Johnson’s supporters have reacted with fury to the privileges committee’s finding that he misled parliament, with some making open threats that Tories who vote to endorse the report could face deselection by their members. | Boris Johnson’s supporters have reacted with fury to the privileges committee’s finding that he misled parliament, with some making open threats that Tories who vote to endorse the report could face deselection by their members. |
| Nadine Dorries, the former culture secretary who has vowed to resign as an MP amid a row over whether she was wrongly denied a peerage, said the report was “quite bizarre” and showed an inbuilt bias from the committee, its chair, Harriet Harman, and the Tory member Bernard Jenkin. | Nadine Dorries, the former culture secretary who has vowed to resign as an MP amid a row over whether she was wrongly denied a peerage, said the report was “quite bizarre” and showed an inbuilt bias from the committee, its chair, Harriet Harman, and the Tory member Bernard Jenkin. |
| “This report has overreached and revealed its true predetermined intentions,” she tweeted, after it found Johnson in contempt of parliament, recommending he should be suspended for 90 days if he had not already stepped down as an MP. | “This report has overreached and revealed its true predetermined intentions,” she tweeted, after it found Johnson in contempt of parliament, recommending he should be suspended for 90 days if he had not already stepped down as an MP. |
| “Harman declared her position before it began. Jenkin, the most senior MP on committee attended an ACTUAL party,” she added, a reference to unproven allegations made on Wednesday by the Guido Fawkes website. | “Harman declared her position before it began. Jenkin, the most senior MP on committee attended an ACTUAL party,” she added, a reference to unproven allegations made on Wednesday by the Guido Fawkes website. |
| “Any Conservative MP who would vote for this report is fundamentally not a Conservative and will be held to account by members and the public. Deselections may follow. It’s serious. MPs will now have to show this committee what real justice looks like and how it’s done.” | “Any Conservative MP who would vote for this report is fundamentally not a Conservative and will be held to account by members and the public. Deselections may follow. It’s serious. MPs will now have to show this committee what real justice looks like and how it’s done.” |
| Were Dorries herself not about to step down, she could have found herself investigated by the privileges committee, which warned in its report that it could not countenance a “sustained attempt, seemingly coordinated, to undermine the committee’s credibility”. | Were Dorries herself not about to step down, she could have found herself investigated by the privileges committee, which warned in its report that it could not countenance a “sustained attempt, seemingly coordinated, to undermine the committee’s credibility”. |
| The committee would publish a separate special report on these attacks, it added. | The committee would publish a separate special report on these attacks, it added. |
| So far such reactions have come from a handful of existing and diehard Johnson supporters, many of whom had been given or promised honours by the former prime minister. | So far such reactions have come from a handful of existing and diehard Johnson supporters, many of whom had been given or promised honours by the former prime minister. |
| The threat of deselections was also made by David Campbell Bannerman, the former MEP who co-heads the pro-Johnson Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO), a newly created Tory grassroots group. | The threat of deselections was also made by David Campbell Bannerman, the former MEP who co-heads the pro-Johnson Conservative Democratic Organisation (CDO), a newly created Tory grassroots group. |
| “CDO is preparing to give advice on deselections/votes of no confidence for the benefit of members who wish to take matters further,” he tweeted. “Up to them of course – as it should be.” | “CDO is preparing to give advice on deselections/votes of no confidence for the benefit of members who wish to take matters further,” he tweeted. “Up to them of course – as it should be.” |
| Speaking later to Times Radio, he said: “Any Tory MP, in my view, that backs this is anti-democratic, and they will face a vote of no confidence at the selection, because members will be that angry that they will hold them to account on this.” | Speaking later to Times Radio, he said: “Any Tory MP, in my view, that backs this is anti-democratic, and they will face a vote of no confidence at the selection, because members will be that angry that they will hold them to account on this.” |
| Brendan Clarke-Smith, a Johnson loyalist elected in his 2019 landslide, tweeted that he was “appalled at what I have read and the spiteful, vindictive and overreaching conclusions of the report”. | Brendan Clarke-Smith, a Johnson loyalist elected in his 2019 landslide, tweeted that he was “appalled at what I have read and the spiteful, vindictive and overreaching conclusions of the report”. |
| He added: “I won’t be supporting the recommendations and will be speaking against them both publicly and in the house on Monday. I’m backing fairness and justice – not kangaroo courts.” | He added: “I won’t be supporting the recommendations and will be speaking against them both publicly and in the house on Monday. I’m backing fairness and justice – not kangaroo courts.” |
| The conclusions of the report will be put to a free vote of MPs on Monday, which will prove the key test of how much support Johnson still has on the Tory benches. | The conclusions of the report will be put to a free vote of MPs on Monday, which will prove the key test of how much support Johnson still has on the Tory benches. |
| Penny Mordaunt, the Commons leader, told MPs as she announced the timetable that her advice was that they should “read the report ... make their own judgments about it, and take the task that is our privilege to do seriously and soberly”. | Penny Mordaunt, the Commons leader, told MPs as she announced the timetable that her advice was that they should “read the report ... make their own judgments about it, and take the task that is our privilege to do seriously and soberly”. |
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| Jacob Rees-Mogg, who was knighted in Johnson’s resignation honours list, quoted Clarke-Smith’s tweet, adding: “When parliament stands upon its dignity it often ends up looking foolish. The privileges committee report is a case in point.” | Jacob Rees-Mogg, who was knighted in Johnson’s resignation honours list, quoted Clarke-Smith’s tweet, adding: “When parliament stands upon its dignity it often ends up looking foolish. The privileges committee report is a case in point.” |
| Simon Clarke, another former minister, and also knighted by Johnson, said: “I am amazed at the harshness of today’s report by the privileges committee. I believed Boris before and I believe him today. This punishment is absolutely extraordinary to the point of sheer vindictiveness, and I will vote against this report on Monday.” | Simon Clarke, another former minister, and also knighted by Johnson, said: “I am amazed at the harshness of today’s report by the privileges committee. I believed Boris before and I believe him today. This punishment is absolutely extraordinary to the point of sheer vindictiveness, and I will vote against this report on Monday.” |
| James Duddridge, an MP who served as Johnson’s parliamentary private secretary for some of his time in No 10 and was previously knighted by him, likened the committee’s verdict to medieval punishment. | |
| “Why not go the full way, put Boris in the stocks and providing rotten food to throw … at him,” he tweeted. “Moving him around the marginals, so the country could share in the humiliation. History will hold Boris in higher regard than this committee. I thank him for his service.” | |
| Other support for Johnson came from Michael Fabricant, also knighted in Johnson’s resignation honours list, who told the BBC that when the former PM gave evidence to the committee, some members “were pulling faces, were looking heavenwards, were indicating they didn’t agree with what Boris was saying”, indicating preconceived bias. | Other support for Johnson came from Michael Fabricant, also knighted in Johnson’s resignation honours list, who told the BBC that when the former PM gave evidence to the committee, some members “were pulling faces, were looking heavenwards, were indicating they didn’t agree with what Boris was saying”, indicating preconceived bias. |
| Jake Berry, also previously knighted by Johnson, suggested his removal as an MP was an attempt by “the blob” to distract from soaring mortgage rates. | Jake Berry, also previously knighted by Johnson, suggested his removal as an MP was an attempt by “the blob” to distract from soaring mortgage rates. |
| Andrea Jenkyns, who was made a dame in the resignation honours, tweeted a photo saying: “I’m backing Boris.” | Andrea Jenkyns, who was made a dame in the resignation honours, tweeted a photo saying: “I’m backing Boris.” |
| Zac Goldsmith, the former Tory MP made a peer by Johnson, condemned the length of the proposed suspension, tweeting: “This is so obviously ridiculous (& vindictive). If they’d been clever, they would have recommended a 9-day ban.” | Zac Goldsmith, the former Tory MP made a peer by Johnson, condemned the length of the proposed suspension, tweeting: “This is so obviously ridiculous (& vindictive). If they’d been clever, they would have recommended a 9-day ban.” |