London, 23 Apr (Xinhua) -- On 21 April, the lower house of the British Parliament passed a motion by word of mouth, deciding to launch an investigation into Prime Minister Boris Johnson's alleged misleading of parliament over the "gathering gate."
The British opposition party has been demanding his resignation for months after Johnson and his government workers gathered in violation of covid-19 rules during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the scandal unfolded, so did the pressure on him within the ruling Conservative Party.
Decide to investigate
On the afternoon of the 21st, the lower house of the British Parliament voted orally on a motion proposed by the opposition Labour Party, and decided to let the Lower House Privileges Committee investigate Johnson's suspicion of misleading Parliament in the "Gathering Gate" related investigation.
This is a live footage of Johnson being questioned in the House of Commons of the British Parliament, filmed in London, England, on January 12. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Ying
Johnson has repeatedly denied that he and government workers violated epidemic prevention regulations during questioning by Parliament. But he received a ticket from the London Police earlier this month, making him the first prime minister in British history to break the law while in office.
Police are investigating gatherings held in the Prime Minister's Office and cabinet offices between 2020 and 2021, and Johnson is believed to have attended several. The London Police has issued at least 50 tickets to date, and more may be issued in the future.
People walk on Westminster Bridge in London, England, on Feb. 10. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Ying
The Commission on Privilege's investigation is expected to begin only after the conclusion of a special investigation conducted by the police and senior cabinet office officer Sue Gray. Police investigation focused on 12 parties and Gray investigated 16 parties.
The Commission on Privilege's investigation will question witnesses at the "gathering gate" and ask them to provide testimony, documents and photographs. According to British regulations, public officials who make a deliberate mistake to mislead Parliament should resign.
Pressure increases
Johnson has faced pressure to step down for several months because of the "party door", not only the Labor Party, the Liberal Democrats and other opposition parties have repeatedly demanded his resignation, but even the ruling Conservative Party has similar voices. Conservative senior mp Steve Baker said on the 21st that Johnson "should have stepped down earlier" and that he supported the commission's investigation. MP Anthony Mangner said he would not forgive Johnson once the findings found that Johnson had misled Parliament.
On 12 January, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson left the Prime Minister's Office at 10 Downing Street in London for the Lower House of Parliament. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Tim Ireland)
Speaking in the lower house of parliament on the 21st, Ian Blackford, mp for the opposition Scottish National Party, said: "To escape being caught, Johnson lied. After being confirmed to be illegal, he lied again. ”
Given the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, most people in the Conservative Party support Johnson's stay as prime minister, but the number of people who do not support him is increasing. Other lawmakers said they would watch the results of upcoming local elections.
Local elections in the UK are scheduled for early May, and some local members of the Conservative Party fear that the "gathering gate" will affect the election. An opinion piece in the Financial Times argued that although Johnson can now stay as prime minister, the "gathering door" will bring irreparable long-term damage to the Conservative Party. Conservative MPs, including government officials, told The Guardian that the "gathering door" had caused the Conservative Party to lose some of its traditional middle-class voters.
Tobias Elwood, chairman of the Defence Special Committee of the Lower House of Parliament, shares a similar view. He told The Times that the "party door" had caused long-term damage to the conservative party's image and that "even a change of leadership would be difficult to make up for".
Johnson and his political allies insist that a change of prime minister would be a reckless choice at a time when the russian-Ukrainian conflict is ongoing and the cost of living for the British people has increased dramatically.
Johnson told media reporters during his visit to India on the 21st that he did not deliberately lie to the parliament and will insist on leading the Conservative Party to meet the next parliamentary election.