SCOTTISH Borders MP, John Lamont intends to vote in favour of the recommendations of the Privileges Committee and the suspension of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
A cross-party investigation found that Mr Johnson committed “repeated contempts” of Parliament by deliberately misleading MPs with his partygate denials before being complicit in a campaign of abuse and intimidation.
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Branding him the first former prime minister to have ever lied to the Commons, the Privileges Committee recommended a 90-day suspension which would have paved the way for a by-election if he had not quit in anticipation.
His resignation means he will escape that punishment but the committee recommended that he should not receive the pass granting access to Parliament which is normally given to former MPs.
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The committee said in the report: “We came to the view that some of Mr Johnson’s denials and explanations were so disingenuous that they were by their very nature deliberate attempts to mislead the committee and the House, while others demonstrated deliberation because of the frequency with which he closed his mind to the truth.”
Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt announced that MPs will debate the Privileges Committee report on Monday.
And the MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk made his position clear earlier today.
He said:"This detailed report raises a number of serious breaches of parliamentary standards and Covid rules.
"I will be voting in favour of the recommendations and the suspension.
"I will continue to focus on representing Borders residents and holding the SNP Government to account."
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The former Conservative leader however hit out at what he called a “deranged conclusion”, accusing the Tory-majority group of MPs led by Labour veteran Harriet Harman, who he has repeatedly sought to disparage, of lying.
Mr Johnson called the committee “beneath contempt” and claimed its 14-month investigation had delivered “what is intended to be the final knife-thrust in a protracted political assassination”.
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