London : British lawmakers on Thursday triggered an investigation into allegations that Prime Minister Boris Johnson misled parliament in his initial responses to reports that he and his staff broke COVID-19 lockdown rules.Lawmakers approved a motion calling for a parliamentary committee to determine whether Johnson’s denials of rule-breaking amounted to a contempt of the House of Commons in light of his subsequent police fine for breaching regulations.
The motion was passed without any opposition after the government abandoned an earlier attempt to delay any decision on whether or not to hold the investigation.
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is currently on a visit to New Delhi, will face an investigation by a House of Commons committee into whether he misled Parliament on violating Covid-19 laws by having or attending parties at his 10 Downing Street office-cum-residence.
After a five hour debate on Thursday, the Commons, which corresponds to the Lok Sabha, voted unanimously on the opposition Labour Party’s motion to refer the matter to the Privileges Committee, with ruling Conservative Party MPs either voting in favour or abstaining.
Steve Baker, a hard-line Brexiteer and hitherto a staunch supporter of Johnson, joined the ranks of Ayes. The Prime Mnister should have long gone, he said in his speech.
Addressing the chamber, Labour leader Keir Starmer stated: “He (Johnson) has stood at that despatch box and point blank denied rule-breaking took place, when it did.
He had earlier asserted: Ministers who knowingly mislead Parliament will be expected to offer their resignation.
Asked on TV for a reaction, Johnson, speaking from India, claimed he had absolutely nothing, frankly, to hide.
But even his ardent supporter, The Daily Telegraph newspaper, could not help but write: Boris Johnson has been embroiled in controversy on the first morning of his long-awaited diplomatic visit to India after inaugurating a new JCB factory, one day after the company’s machines were used to illegally bulldoze Muslim homes and businesses in Delhi.