Theresa May has urged MPs to vote to back a report that found Boris Johnson lied to Parliament over partygate, as Rishi Sunak steered clear of the Commons debate on its findings.
Conservative former prime minister Mrs May said backing the Privileges Committee’s conclusions would be “a small but important step in restoring people’s trust” in Parliament.
In a veiled swipe at Mr Sunak’s absence from the chamber, Mrs May urged her party to “show that we are prepared to act when one of our own, however senior, is found wanting”.
The Prime Minister has been accused of “running scared” for refusing to say whether he will take part in a potential vote.
He has been urged to “show leadership” on the issue but has insisted he does not want to “influence” how MPs might vote.
No 10 said the Prime Minister’s schedule on Monday “doesn’t include attending Parliament” and that he has commitments he “can’t move”.
The cross-party committee concluded that Mr Johnson, who quit as an MP and labelled the probe a “kangaroo court” after being told in advance of its findings, should have faced a 90-day suspension for misleading the House when he told the Commons that Covid rules were obeyed in No 10 despite parties taking place.
It also recommended banning the ex-premier from receiving a pass to access Parliament which is usually available to former MPs.
It is not clear whether there will ultimately be a vote on the conclusions of the report, which could go through on the nod unless there are objections from Mr Johnson’s supporters.
The former prime minister was urging his allies not to oppose it, arguing that the sanctions have no practical effect, although critics argue that the level of support shown for him would have been very low anyway.
Mr Johnson and his loyalists have sought to discredit the committee’s inquiry, including by accusing its chairwoman, veteran Labour MP Harriet Harman, of holding “prejudicial views”.
But during the debate, Ms Harman said the Government gave her assurances that she would not be seen as biased in her judgment of Mr Johnson.
After Tory former minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg highlighted her tweets criticising the ex-prime minister, Ms Harman said she told the Government she was “more than happy to step aside”.
“I was assured that I should continue the work that the House had mandated with the appointment that the House had put me into and so I did just that,” she added.
Mrs May said she accepted the committee’s findings and commended its members “for their painstaking work, and for their dignity in the face of slurs on their integrity”.
“The decision of the House on this report is important.
“It is important to show the public that there is not one rule for them and another for us,” she said.
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