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Boris Johnson could face suspension from the House and even a by-election if found to have deceived Congress by the Privileges Committee.
Mr Johnson said before a committee of seven members of Congress trying to decide whether Mr Johnson misled the House of Representatives about his claims about his knowledge of the “Partygate” rallies on 10th Avenue and Whitehall. I plan to attend
They look at evidence on at least four occasions that he may have deliberately misled members of Congress in assuring Commons that the rules would be followed.
In its interim report, the Privileges Committee believes Mr Johnson “may have misled” Congress, but is trying to understand whether this was intentional or inadvertent.
Johnson and his lawyers have prepared a 50-page document for his defense that will be submitted to the committee and made public on Tuesday.
What sanctions can the Privilege Commission impose on Boris Johnson?
After the testimony session, the committee is expected to take weeks to months before making a decision on whether Johnson misled Congress.
After considering the evidence, the Commission issues a report outlining its findings and recommending what sanctions should be applied.
Congress has the power to impose a number of possible sanctions, including demands for verbal or written apologies, suspensions from the House for limited periods, and salary withholdings without suspension.
The committee can also recommend that members be expelled from the House of Commons, but this is extremely rare and no member has been formally expelled since 1947.
Although less likely to apply in this case, the Commission also requires members to repay misused public funds, such as misbilled costs or use of services to which they are not entitled. I have the authority.
If Mr Johnson is found to have deceived Congress, he will most likely face a temporary suspension from the House of Representatives for an exact period to be determined at the discretion of the committee.
Can MPs vote on sanctions?
The recommended sanctions must be voted on without debate by the entire House.
By convention, this is a free vote, meaning that lawmakers do not have to vote along partisanship.
But in the case of Owen Patterson, who was convicted of paid lobbying by the Criteria Watchdog, the government directed lawmakers to oppose a recommended 30-day suspension from the House of Representatives in 2021, leading to widespread led to violent backlash and accusations of cronyism.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak suggested there would be no vote on sanctions against Mr Johnson, arguing that such a move would be “not right” as it “is not the government’s problem”.
Many of Johnson’s supporters have already indicated that they will vote against the sanctions proposed by the Privileges Committee, calling the investigation a “witch hunt.”
Will Boris Johnson lose his seat?
If Mr Johnson is found to have defrauded Congress and is subsequently suspended for more than 10 days, an automatic recall petition will be launched in Uxbridge and South Ruislip.
Although this usually applies only after a report by the Standards Committee, the Speaker of the House has ruled that judgments passed by a Privileges Committee convened to consider a particular case referred to the House will have the same effect. Did.
A recall petition may also be invoked if an MP is sentenced to custody or convicted of making false or misleading expense claims.
Within 10 business days after the Chair notifies precinct officials, a petition signature location will be established within the area. These are valid for 6 weeks and he can also vote by mail or by proxy.
If 10% of voters sign the petition, it will automatically start a by-election for incumbents to run.
Three MPs were subject to recall petitions, and only two reached the threshold required to trigger a by-election.
In 2018, after DUP Rep. Ian Paisley Jr. was suspended from the House for 30 days for violating paid advocacy rules, a petition was launched, but only 9.4% of voters signed it.
In 2019, former Labor MP Fiona Onasanya was jailed for distorting the course of justice, and Conservative MP Christopher Davis was convicted of false or misleading expense claims. Two petitions have been filed on behalf of Mr.
Both petitions reached the threshold required to trigger a by-election, with both Onasanya and Davis losing their seats.
In the 2019 general election, Mr Johnson won 7,210 votes in Uxbridge and South Ruislip with 52.5% of the vote.