On Wednesday, a report from MPs on whether Boris Johnson lied to the Parliament about events at 10 Downing Street is anticipated.
Before the Privileges Committee report was released, Boris Johnson resigned as an MP, claiming he had been "forced out of Parliament.".
Committees are bodies in the parliament that look more closely at things like laws or policies.
Cases that "may prevent or hinder" the work of Parliament are looked into by the House of Commons Privileges Committee.
Examining allegations that MPs have broken the law is one of its responsibilities.
The committee is debating whether Mr. Johnson lied to MPs about what he knew regarding parties held in Downing Street during Covid lockdowns.
Because it deals with certain privileges that MPs enjoy, the committee is named "privileges.". To promote free speech among lawmakers, these measures include immunity from legal action for anything said in the House of Commons.
In the House of Commons, the committee was established in its current configuration in 2013. A bigger committee known as the Standards and Privileges Committee had previously carried out comparable work.
"Their purpose from the beginning has been to find me guilty, regardless of the facts," Boris Johnson claimed of the committee's members' bias against him. ".
However, Sir Bernard Jenkin, Sir Charles Walker, Andy Carter, and Alberto Costa, four of the committee's seven members, are Conservative MPs.
Allan Dorans represents the SNP, while Harriet Harman and Yvonne Fovargue, both MPs for Labour, are also members.
The chair must, according to the rules, be a member of the official opposition, or from the Labour party. June 2022 saw the unanimous election of Harriet Harman to the position.
The committee has the authority to summon any MP and demand that they appear in front of it with documents or other proof.
However, the majority of the sanctions it can suggest need to be approved by the House of Commons.
Although there have been exceptions, traditionally parties have not instructed their MPs on how to vote on such issues.
The committee may suggest suspending a member of the Commons. A recall petition, which could ultimately result in a by-election, could be started if a suspension lasts longer than two weeks.
It may recommend that an MP be expelled in the most extreme circumstances.
Additionally, the committee has the authority to demand an MP apologize or suggest that the House of Commons vote to censure them. It may demand the repayment of public funds or the withholding of an MP's salary.
What punishments the Committee will suggest is not yet known because Mr. Johnson has already resigned from his position as a member of parliament.
There is currently no confirmation that the report will need to be approved by a vote of MPs.
In the event that a vote is held, there are rumors that opposition MPs may attempt to enact their own sanctions.
For referring to the committee in his resignation statement as "a kangaroo court," Boris Johnson has drawn heavy criticism.
The expression typically describes an unofficial group that hastily renders a decision without carefully considering the evidence.
After a vote in the House of Commons in April 2022, Mr. Johnson's conduct was referred to the committee. After the Partygate police investigation was over in June 2022, it made its evidence request.
Mr. Johnson criticized committee chair Harriet Harman during his testimony session for "speak[ing] some things about this matter before reading the evidence.".
She had stated on Twitter in April 2022 that if Boris Johnson and the then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak accepted a fine for a lockdown-breaking party, "they are also admitting that they misled the House of Commons." He was making reference to her comments at that time.
Sir Chris Bryant, who had previously criticized Mr. Johnson for breaking the rules, decided he should not oversee the investigation and was replaced as chair by Ms. Harman.
No, it can also determine whether members of the public have disobeyed the law.
The refusal of Dominic Cummings, a former advisor to Boris Johnson, to testify before another parliamentary committee was investigated by the Privileges Committee in 2019.
It concluded that Mr. Cummings had disobeyed the law and advised the House of Commons to condemn him in a resolution.
