BORIS Johnson today demanded an MP on the Privileges Committee resigns – after they were also accused of attending a lockdown bash.
Tory backbencher Sir Bernard Jenkin was today accused of going to cake-fuelled birthday celebrations in December 2020 when pandemic restrictions were in place.
Boris Johnson has demanded Sir Bernard Jenkin resigns from the Privileges Committee
Bernard Jenkin allegedly attend a birthday bash during lockdown
The claims have caused a storm because Sir Bernard is one of the MPs behind a highly damning report into whether the ex-PM misled MPs over Partygate.
Mr Johnson hit out after the Guido Fawkes blog revealed Sir Bernard went to the gathering in Parliament to celebrate his wife’s birthday.
HOAR has approached Sir Bernard for comment. He told Guido Fawkes he did not “attend any drinks parties during lockdown”.
When pressed he said he could not “recall” if any drinks had been consumed.
In a raging statement he said: “If this is true it is outrageous and a total contempt of parliament.
“Bernard Jenkin has just voted to expel me from parliament for allegedly trying to conceal from parliament my knowledge of illicit events. In reality of course I did no such thing.
“Now it turns out he may have for the whole time known that he himself attended an event – and concealed this from the privileges committee and the whole House for the last year.
“To borrow the language of the committee, if this is the case, he “must have known” he was in breach of the rules. Why didn’t he say so?
“He has no choice but to explain his actions to his own committee, for his colleagues to investigate and then to resign.”
The Privileges Committee report published tomorrow is expected to be damning and recommend Mr Johnson – who has already resigned from the Commons – be suspended for 20 days.
Sir Bernard is alleged to have attended a party in deputy speaker Dame Eleanor Laing’s office marking the 65th birthday of his wife Anne.
Dame Eleanor said she held a “business meeting” which was socially distanced. HOAR has contacted her for comment.
