Tories call on Harriet Harman to drop Partygate investigation over her tweets accusing prime minister of lying

Tories Deputies called Harriet Harman consider her position on the committee that will investigate Boris Johnson over Partygate after tweets appeared in which she accused him of lying.

On Tuesday night, it was confirmed that the former deputy leader of Labor will take the post of Chris Bryant in the Committee on Privileges of the House of Commons.

Mr. Bryant was chairman of the committee, and Miss Harman is now a favorite to take over, giving her a huge influence on the investigation into whether or not Mr. Johnson misled the Cammons regarding Partygate.

But Conservative MPs say the tweets she sent in April – which are very critical of the prime minister – mean she should not become chair as she risks bias Mr Johnson before the committee takes office.

On April 12, Miss Harman tweeted three messages, including one in which she said that if Prime Minister and Chancellor Rishi Sunak agreed to a fine for a blocking party, “then they also admit to misleading the House communities. “

In one post, she commented on a poll that found that while 75 percent of people thought Johnson “knowingly lied about violating Covid-19 rules,” only 57 percent said he should quit smoking.

She asked, “What about those who say the prime minister‘ knowingly lied ’but doesn’t think he should leave? Are our standards so low? ‘

In another Twitter post the same day, Harman commented on a post by former Labor doctor Alastair Campbell, who wrote: “They violated their own emergency laws.” They lied. Repeatedly. They destroyed the ministerial code. “

Miss Harman wrote: “And not just the old laws, but the ones that were needed to protect even more people who become infected. These were the laws to save lives that they broke! ‘

Now Miss Harman is a favorite to take over the management of the committee, giving her a huge impact on the investigation into whether Boris Johnson (pictured) misled the Commons about Partygate

In a third Twitter post about possible fines for Johnson and Sunak, Miss Harman said that “if the Prime Minister and CX [Chancellor] admit guilt by acknowledging this right of the police that they have violated the rules, then they also admit that they have misled the House of Commons. Are they going to challenge? ‘

Sir Bill Cash said Miss Harman “should reconsider her position”.

He said: “The fact that she has accused him of lying in public puts her in the same position as anyone else who endures a person’s bias before judging him. And it’s fatal. “

Former Lord Chancellor Sir Robert Buckland said: “As a lawyer, Harriet Harman is one who values ​​due process above all else, and I am sure she would like to think very carefully about any possible impact of the tweets she has released, which “Somehow they think she’s biased.”

Another Tory, Craig McKinley, said: “Even if a member of the district council’s planning committee has expressed an opinion equal to predestination, they are rightly expected to abandon any planning decisions.

“We’re talking about something more serious, so I think Harriet Harman should think about leaving this committee.”

The committee is expected to scrutinize Johnson’s changing history of whether there were parties on Downing Street, and review WhatsApp groups and internal emails to find out what advice Johnson received before making those statements.

If the committee finds that Johnson has misled the House of Commons, he may be suspended for several days.