Theresa May, a former prime minister, asserted that supporting a report that found Boris Johnson had purposefully misled MPs would help rebuild public confidence in the legislative branch.
When he claimed that Covid rules had always been followed at No. 10, Mr. Johnson was found to have repeatedly broken the law, according to a cross-party committee.
Mrs. May was one of several prominent Conservatives who pledged to vote in favor of the report's conclusions.
But Mr. Johnson's allies cast doubt on the committee's objectivity.
The Partygate scandal, which involved parties held in Downing Street during Covid lockdowns, prompted a request for the MP Privileges Committee, which has a majority of Conservatives, to look into whether Mr. Johnson misled MPs about his knowledge of these events.
It recommended denying Mr. Johnson a parliamentary pass, which he would typically be entitled to as a former MP, and recommending a 90-day suspension for him—a lengthy ban by recent standards.
This might have brought about a by-election in his constituency had the Commons given its approval.
Prior to the report's release, Mr. Johnson, calling the committee a "kangaroo court," announced his resignation as an MP.
The report's conclusions will be put to a vote by MPs later.
The report's support would be "a small but important step in restoring people's trust," according to Mrs. May, who was speaking during a Commons debate prior to the vote.
She stated that it was crucial to convince the public that there aren't separate rules for them and us.
This committee's report is important. It's important that we have this discussion. And this vote is significant.
"They matter because they cut to the core of the relationship of respect and trust between the public and Parliament, which serves as the foundation for the operation of this institution and of our democracy. ".
Mrs. May urged her fellow lawmakers to support the report in order to "uphold standards in public life, to demonstrate that we all recognize the responsibility we have to the people we serve, and to help restore faith in our parliamentary democracy.".
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak skipped the debate and has resisted disclosing his vote, claiming he didn't want to sway others' decisions.
Opposition parties have urged Mr. Sunak to exercise leadership by casting a vote and have stated that they agree with the report's findings.
The report's conclusions were criticized by Mr. Johnson's supporters.
Mr. Johnson's parliamentary private secretary, Lia Nici, told lawmakers she could find no proof of his knowingly misleading Parliament.
She cast doubt on the committee's objectivity and claimed those who disagreed with Mr. Johnson were taking advantage of the procedure through "political opportunism.".
Jacob Rees-Mogg, a former minister who received a knighthood as part of Mr. Johnson's resignation honors, called the proposed 90-day suspension "a vindictive sanction.".
Mr. Rees-Mogg responded to claims that some Johnson allies had tried to undermine the committee's work by saying that it was "absolutely legitimate to criticize the conduct of a committee" and its members.
Labour MP Harriet Harman, who chairs the committee, however, stated that its members had to "withstand a campaign of threats, intimidation, and harassment designed to challenge the legitimacy of the inquiry.".
After Mr. Rees-Mogg brought up her earlier tweets criticizing Mr. Johnson, she defended her objectivity by saying that she had offered to leave her position as chair after the tweets surfaced, but the government had assured her that she should stay in that position.
After the discussion, there may be a recorded vote or MPs may simply nod the report through if the outcome is clear. It is predicted to pass easily if there is a vote.
For Tory MPs, it would be a free vote, which means party managers, referred to as whips, would not tell them how to vote.
The debate's introduction by Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt included her declaration that she would vote in favor of the report, adding, "The integrity of our institutions matter. ".
But she emphasized that "each member must make their own decisions, and others should respect that.".
According to sources close to the former prime minister, Mr. Johnson has urged his supporters not to vote against the report because it has no practical application now that he has resigned. Instead, some might decide to skip the event or not show up.
Any Conservatives who support the report in a formal vote are likely to anger Mr. Johnson's supporters. This could cause division within the Conservative Party.
