Boris Johnson’s reputation once again hangs in the balance this morning, as he counts down the final few hours before Harriet Harman’s Privileges Committee publishes its long-awaited report into whether he lied to the Commons when denying lockdown parties in Downing Street.
According to pre-reports, Mr Johnson will be found to have committed “multiple” contempts of parliament.
The report is also set to detail the number of days of suspension Mr Johnson would have received had he not preemptively quit as an MP.
A source said the suspension recommendation is “higher than many people are expecting”, with just 10 having been required to allow a by-election in Mr Johnson’s Greater London constituency.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson demands Tory MP on Privileges Committee quits
While Ms Harman will get her day in the spotlight, allies of Mr Johnson have warned the report, which rejects core tenets of the former PM’s defence, will turn him into a “martyr” among Tory members.
A senior ally of Mr Johnson said: “They are creating a martyr. This is going to light the fires among the membership. There is a narrative for a comeback that wasn’t really there before.”
Yesterday the Privileges Committee was thrown into chaos after allegations emerged that Sir Bernard Jenkin – a senior member of the committee – attended a drinks party in Parliament during a period of Covid restrictions in 2020.
London was in Tier 2 Covid restrictions at the time, preventing such gatherings from happening.
Mr Johnson called for Sir Bernard to quit following the allegations, saying it is “outrageous and a total contempt of parliament”.
Sir Bernard denied breaking any rules.
The Financial Times also reports that MPs who have criticised the committee’s conduct, or referred to it as a “kangaroo court” will also be censured.
It is not known whether the committee will use its power to ban Mr Johnson from the Parliamentary estate as part of its recommended sanction.
