Former British PM Boris Johnson fights to keep career afloat in testimony on lockdown parties

London: Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will undergo hours of hostile interrogation on Wednesday in connection with whether he misled Parliament over rule-breaking during the Covid-19 lockdown at a hearing where he will be fighting to keep his political career afloat. The British Parliament’s Committee of Privileges is probing whether Johnson, who was ousted from Downing Street in September last year, deliberately or recklessly misled parliament in a series of statements about the rule-breaking lockdown parties. The leader, who considered an audacious bid for a second stint as UK prime minister last year, is scheduled to give evidence to the committee over several hours in a televised session. If the committee finds that Johnson intentionally misled parliament then he could be suspended from the House of Commons, the lower house of British parliament. Any suspension longer than 10 days could lead to a by-election in his constituency. The so-called ‘partygate’ scandal ultimately contributed to Johnson’s downfall, after months of reports that he, alongside other senior government figures, had been present at gatherings in Downing Street during 2020 and 2021 when most of the rest of Britain were forced to stay at home. The repeated allegations of lying eventually prompted the resignations of much of his top team of government ministers, including the incumbent prime minister, Rishi Sunak. In an interim report published this month, lawmakers on the committee – made up of seven lawmakers with a majority of members from the governing Conservative Party – said the former PM may have misled parliament on four occasions and said the rule breaking should have been “obvious”. On Tuesday, Johnson said in written evidence to the committee he had misled parliament but insisted he “would never have dreamed” of doing so intentionally. Johnson described some of the allegations he faced from the committee as illogical and absurd, alleging that the committee was highly partisan. The committee, however said, Johnson had submitted his evidence after a lot of delay, that it had contained errors and no “new documentary evidence”. If the committee recommends any sanctions against Johnson they would have to be approved by the British Parliament. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak earlier this week suggested that any vote on any sanctions against Johnson would be based on lawmakers’ own beliefs rather than along party lines. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.