Rachel Johnson scored an embarrassing own goal on Sunday after suggesting all MPs should experience time in prison.
Speaking to Sky News’ Trevor Phillips, the sister of former prime minister Boris Johnson said it would “be very good if all MPs spent some time in prison” as part of a discussion about honesty in politics.
Laughter erupted in the studio when she claimed it would be a “very good” method of getting MPs to answer questions about the state of the country more honestly, before acknowledging it would include her own brother.
It follows an interview with Church of England priest and former Conservative cabinet minister Jonathan Aitken, who was jailed for 18 months in 1999 for perverting the course of justice.
“Open goal” she laughed, referring to Boris Johnson being at the centre of her claims.
Johnson went on to say the tactic “worked” with Aitken, adding: “He answered every question honestly, like a human being, with candour and humility.
“That is actually what we want from our serving politicians, not our past politicians.”
Last week a clip setting out the reasons why Boris Johnson and other Tory MPs should be jailed went viral on social media platform X following the charging of former president Donald Trump with trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The former prime minister faced a close brush with the law earlier this year following a dispute between ministers and the official inquiry into the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Inquiry chairwoman Baroness Hallett demanded access to Johnson’s WhatsApp messages but faced objection from the Cabinet Office which refused to release “unambiguously irrelevant” material.
The unredacted messages have since been handed to the inquiry following a failed legal challenge against the order of the inquiry.
Boris Johnson does not oppose the handover of messages in principle, according to his spokesperson, adding that the current row is with the Cabinet Office.
Related: Watch: Video on why some Tories should be jailed is going viral