The report into whether or not Boris Johnson misled Parliament remains to be 90 minutes away as I write, however we all know that will probably be damning. It’s anticipated to counsel that he did so on a number of events. He final abused privilege final week, when he leaked a part of the findings of the report.

There’s not an excessive amount of information in right here. Any individual with a scintilla of sense knew Johnson to be a liar. He is without doubt one of the few individuals about whom that time period can be utilized publicly with out the slightest worry of a profitable libel motion. Solely these touched by what may, politely, be known as the excesses of right-wing fervour search to defend him now.

The advice of this Committee was, we count on, to be that Johnson be banned from the Home of Commons for at the very least ten days, resulting in a probable recall petition. That, in fact, can’t occur now. Johnson has pre-empted the difficulty by resigning. He has, as ever, refused to just accept the implications of his actions.

There are such penalties, nonetheless. These exist, most particularly, with regard to the Covid inquiry. If, as appears probably, Johnson was finally liable for the deaths of tens of hundreds of people that needn’t have died once they did, then he wants to provide proof to that judge-led inquiry. The straightforward query is, how will we, and so they, know if he tells the reality then? And what’s going to the sanction be if he doesn’t?

Earlier than then although, the choice of one other sanction on Johnson exists. He could possibly be barred from the parliamentary property in Westminster now. John Bercow was the latest outstanding individual to be banned in that manner. So a easy ballot:

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