[1andrew1]

Tuesday could be interesting!

Boris Johnson faces prospect of vote over misleading parliament on ‘partygate’

The opposition Labour, Liberal Democrat and the Scottish National parties are in discussions over the best way to force a vote on whether Johnson brought parliament into disrepute when MPs return from the Easter break next week.

Johnson has publicly apologised for his “mistake” over attending a surprise birthday party for him in June 2020. “I deeply regret the frustration and anger caused and I am sorry,” he said.

However, opposition MPs are eager to force a vote over whether the prime minister misled the house. One way of doing so would be for MPs to trigger “contempt” proceedings, which could lead to Johnson being found in contempt of parliament.

If such a motion was granted by Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Commons speaker, Conservative MPs would likely be whipped against it. But one senior Labour MP said that even a failed vote could serve a political purpose.

“It would be very useful ahead of local elections in May to get the Tories trooping through the lobby to defend the prime minister,” the MP said. Another senior Liberal Democrat MP said they expected “a significant number” of Tories to abstain, which could “cause the government problems”.

https://www.ft.com/content/d6c0bdf5-...7-3dd0aefecfa2