Privileges Committee shames the Boris backers

Hell hath no fury like a select committee scorned. Fresh from chastising Boris Johnson, the Privileges Committee has now turned its guns on the Tory MPs who vociferously backed him during their investigation. The seven-strong panel has identified eight Boris backers who interfered with their 14-month long probe into whether or not Johnson lied to the House. They are: Nadine Dorries, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Brendan Clarke-Smith, Andrea Jenkyns, Mark Jenkinson, Priti Patel, Michael Fabricant and Lord Goldsmith.

All of the aforementioned eight were criticised for posting tweets, or giving comments to the media, that represented, in the committee’s words, ‘some of the most disturbing examples of the co-ordinated campaign to interfere with’ its inquiry. ‘We have not catalogued every tweet or TV appearance’ says the report ‘but have set out in an annex to this report some of the most disturbing examples of the co-ordinated campaign.’ Examples include Rees-Mogg and Dorries attacking the Privileges Committee on their TV shows, Jenkyns calling it a ‘kangaroo court’ and Clarke-Smith labelling it a ‘parliamentary witch-hunt which would put a banana republic to shame.