U.K.’s Boris Johnson deliberately misled parliament, report finds

A committee of lawmakers in the United Kingdom said Thursday that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson would face suspension from parliament if he hadn’t resigned recently. The House of Commons Privileges Committee reported that Johnson misled Parliament about parties he held at Downing Street in violation of the U.K.’s pandemic lockdown rules. He also tried to intimidate the committee, according to the report.

What has Johnson said? Johnson has acknowledged he misled lawmakers but insists it wasn’t deliberate. He called the committee’s report “rubbish” and said it’s part of a “protracted political assassination.” Johnson had resigned as prime minister last year amid the scandal but remained in parliament until last week when the committee notified him of the coming sanction. He resigned before he could be put on a 90-day suspension, which likely would have resulted in a by-election. 

Dig deeper: Read Calvin Robinson’s column in World Opinions on Johnson’s resignation from prime minister.