Warwick's MP only representative from Warwickshire to vote on Boris Johnson Partygate report
By James Smith
20th Jun 2023 | Local News
Warwick's MP was the only Warwickshire parliamentarian to vote on the so-called Partygate report yesterday (June 19).
The Commons voted overwhelmingly in support of the findings of the Privileges Committee, which concluded Boris Johnson had deliberately misled MPs over parties at Downing Street during the pandemic.
The investigation found the former prime minister made multiple statements to Parliament about events at No 10, which were deliberately misleading.
The cross-party report was backed by 354 votes to seven last night, with 118 Tories voting in favour of it.
But all five Conservative members from Warwickshire were among the 225 MPs not to vote.
Labour MP for Leamington and Warwick Matt Western was the only MP from the county to officially register his view on the report - voting in favour of approving it.
Ahead of the vote, Mr Western released a statement criticising Rishi Sunak's leadership of the nation and the Tory Party.
"While the former PM [Boris Johnson] has now resigned from Parliament in what I can only call a tantrum, his flawed legacy and a hugely divided party remains," he said.
"Rishi Sunak has failed to stop the endless infighting and is preoccupied with managing the latest internal breakdown, rather than dealing with the issues that really matter at the moment – soaring food prices, huge energy bills and massive mortgage rates, just to name a few.
"We need proper leadership to deal with the situation we find ourselves in. I don't believe Sunak's Government can provide that. As we wait for the next General Election, I'll continue to hold this Government to account and ask questions like this one from last year. As I said then, we can't let them take us for fools."
Kenilworth and Southam's Sir Jeremy Wright - who called for Mr Johnson's resignation as prime minister in May 2022 - said yesterday's vote was not necessary following the former PM's resignation, so chose not to vote.
"The debate on the committee's conclusions was procedurally necessary but had an air of unreality about it," he said in a statement.
"The primary recommendation of the Privileges Committee in Boris Johnson's case was a 90-day suspension from Parliament triggering a Recall Petition which may have led to a by-election.
"You cannot suspend someone who has already left parliament and the by-election has already been triggered by his departure.
"The only remaining sanction recommended – the denial of a Former Member's Pass allowing ongoing access to some of parliament's catering facilities – seems of little relevance and dubious proportionality (given it is of indefinite duration), and certainly does not merit a debate and vote on its own.
"Abstention on that vote therefore seemed to me to be the best course of action.
"I would have supported the suspension of Boris Johnson and the triggering of a potential by-election if he had not already taken the action he did."
Elsewhere in Warwickshire, Stratford-upon-Avon's Nadhim Zahawi also did not register a vote, nor did Craig Tracey (North Warwickshire), Marcus Jones (Nuneaton) or Mark Pawsey (Rugby).
Nub News has reached out to all the Conservative MP's in Warwickshire for comment.
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