On June 15, local time, the Privilege Committee of the House of Commons of the British Parliament finally released the investigation report on the “party door” incident of former Prime Minister Johnson. This more than 100-page report shows that the then Prime Minister Johnson not only “understood the epidemic prevention regulations”, but also knew that government departments such as No. 10 Downing Street had violated relevant regulations, but he still used hypocritical “denials and explanations” many times to intentionally Misleading the House of Commons and the Privileges Committee of Parliament.
The report of the Privilege Committee also pointed out that misleading the lower house of parliament is not only a technical issue, but also a matter of principle that endangers the democratic system and affects public confidence.
△The Privilege Committee of the House of Commons of the British Parliament released an investigation report on the “Party Gate” incident
“Lying to parliament is one of the worst things a politician can do”
On May 15, 2020, in the garden of No. 10 Downing Street in London, England, the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson brought out cheese and fine wine, and had an outdoor party with some officials. What Johnson didn’t expect was that a drink like this, which the British are accustomed to, would one day be dubbed “party gate” by people, and he would pay a high price. Due to violation of the British epidemic prevention regulations at the time, after the incident was exposed, he lost the throne of prime minister. The incident has continued to ferment to this day, and may even ruin his political career.
Alistair Jones, an associate professor of political science at De Montfort University in the United Kingdom, said in an exclusive interview with the main station that “lying to the lower house of parliament is one of the worst things a politician can do.”
△Screenshot of Max Hastings British media report
Johnson’s boss at the “Daily Telegraph”, Max Hastings, said after the release of the investigation report that the former prime minister’s actions could be described as “what a dog would do to a streetlight.” He made fools of us all while he was in office and he must never be allowed to do that again.”
However, in the face of such findings, all walks of life in the UK are not surprised. As early as the 9th, after receiving a confidential letter from the Privilege Committee of the House of Commons of the British Parliament, Johnson chose to “jump ship” immediately and announced his resignation as a member. In his resignation statement, Johnson also criticized the privilege committee for being reduced to a political thug, ending his political career, saying that he was forced out by a small group of people.
In fact, as a disciplinary body in parliament, the Privileges Committee has the power to recommend that Johnson suspend MPs based on the findings of this investigation. Compared with the “punishment” of 10-day suspension widely speculated by the outside world, the Privileges Committee finally decided that “if Mr. Johnson is still a member of Parliament, he should be suspended for 90 days”, and accused Johnson of commenting on it before the final investigation report. “Breach of Confidentiality”.
Johnson took the initiative to fire himself in advance, seemingly avoiding punishment and preserving his dignity, but such behavior once again nailed his “irresponsible” label.
The ex messed up the incumbent and suffered?
△Screenshot of British media comment report
“Who wants to be prime minister or first minister when the incumbents have been… busy…?” in an op-ed titled “Boris and Sturgeon headlines make jobs harder for prime ministers and first ministers” Here, Chris Mason, the BBC’s political editor, asked rhetorically.
Johnson’s sudden resignation as a member of Parliament on the 9th of this month caused an “earthquake” in the Conservative Party. As Johnson’s “hardcore ally”, two other Conservative Party members also announced their resignation, resulting in three vacancies in the House of Commons. The British opposition Labor Party took the opportunity to make a big fuss, criticizing the political chaos of the Conservative Party government while also pressuring Sunak to hold early parliamentary elections.
On the 11th, Sunak was also involved in a “battle of words” with Johnson. The focus of the dispute was Johnson’s controversial nomination for honors by his main political ally. When attending the artificial intelligence public forum that day, Sunak said that what Johnson asked him to do was something he “would not do” because he thought it was “wrong”. Johnson responded by saying “Sunak is talking nonsense”.
△British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak attended the Artificial Intelligence Open Forum
BBC political editor Chris Mason commented that amidst the noise and headlines created by their predecessors, the current prime minister had to “take time off” to get down to business, but this was made more difficult by the fact that their predecessors were more “in the limelight” .
Alistair Jones, an associate professor of political science at De Montfort University in the United Kingdom, said that the existence of Johnson actually gave Sunak a headache. Every time Johnson said something, it would make headlines, which would undoubtedly distract people from Sunak’s administration. Measure attention.
Jones also pointed out that Johnson’s resignation statement was “temporarily” leaving parliament, which seemed to leave room for himself to return to politics. Johnson stared at Sunak like a behind-the-scenes “ogre”, waiting for him to make a mistake, and then popped out to play savior and solve the problems of the Conservative Party.
Infighting in the ruling party continues, the economy is sluggish, and it is hard for the people to pay the bill
While the ruling party continues to suffer internal friction, the performance of the British economy is indeed worrying. Deutsche Bank recently released a research report, lowering the UK’s 2024 economic growth forecast from 0.8% to 0.4%, and pointing out that the UK still has high inflationary pressure and the risk of economic recession. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development recently released a report predicting that the average inflation rate in the UK in 2023 will be 6.9%. Not only is the figure above the OECD average, it would also be the highest among all major advanced economies.
△Heathrow Airport Security Staff Summer Strike Plan
Since the end of last year, amidst the cries of “anti-inflation” and “I want a salary increase”, the wave of strikes in the UK has continued one after another, and there is no sign of stopping. Especially in the upcoming summer vacation, the security personnel at Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom will organize a larger-scale strike demonstration. They will strike for 31 days in the two months from the end of June to the end of August, with an average of one strike every two days. The people’s livelihood and social situation are even worse.
△Screenshot of the petition page on the official website of the British Parliament calling for an immediate general election
On the official website of the British Parliament, a petition launched in 2022 calling for an immediate general election and an end to the chaos of the current government has received more than 900,000 signatures within six months. It can be said that political scandals and economic data are constantly weakening the trust and patience of the British people in the Conservative Party government. How long this soap opera can last is probably another matter that the Conservative Party government itself does not count.
Producer丨Jiang Qiudi
Chief Editor丨Liang Tao
Reporter丨Gao Zhannana Prompt Cui Ruofan