On Boris Johnson’s birthday, Parliament set to deal him humiliating blow
Washington PostJun 05, 2023
The Facts
In the aftermath of the UK's parliamentary Privileges Committee's Partygate report concerning the affairs of former prime minister Boris Johnson, the committee has accused several former and current ministers of having attempted a coordinated campaign to interfere with its investigation.
Individuals accused of attempting to "discredit the committee's conclusions" and "influence the outcome of the inquiry" include Nadine Dorries, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, Priti Patel, and Lord Goldsmith.
The Spin
Right narrative
Johnson and his supporters' complaints deserve sympathy. The process in which he was ejected from parliament was indeed unfair — chiefly being used not as a means of justice but rather as revenge for Brexit. Both sides are just as bad as each other, and Johnson's enemies are just as hypocritical as he is admittedly selfish.
Left narrative
While Johnson has left, so many of the toxic members of his cabinet remain from within Rishi Sunak's government. Johnson's members of parliament have indulged him and supported him at every step, even when he attempted to undermine the Privileges Committee. Only once there is a Labour government can UK politics finally break free from such a right-leaning populist saga.
