Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak 'at war' ahead of Committee on Privileges verdict on former PM

Bоris Johnson struck back at Rishi Sunak in a full-blown dispute over peerages when he formally resigned as MP.

In a dramatic escalation of the Tory civil war, the former prime minister on Monday accused his successor, Mr Sunak, of speaking “nonsense”.

Earlier, the current prime minister had publicly confronted Johnson over his nominations for allies to be elevated to the House of Lords.

In surprisingly open comments, Sunak said he was not prepared to overturn the House of Lords Appointments Committee (Holac) decision or make promises to key Johnson allies about becoming peers.

“And if people don’t like that, then tough,” Sunak said at a fintech event in London.

“When I got this job, I said I was going to do things differently because I wanted to change the policy and that’s what I’m doing.”

But within a few hours, Johnson replied: “Rishi Sunak is talking nonsense.

“To honor these noble titles it was not necessary to annul Holac’s decision, but simply to ask them to renew their background investigation, which was a mere formality.”

Sunak was also urged to show how the Conservatives could win the upcoming election with their “best player off the pitch”, after Johnson announced his resignation as an MP on Friday. to the polls, much higher than when Johnson was at number 10.

Johnson was confirmed to have formally resigned as MP on Monday when Chancellor Jeremy Hunt appointed him a trustee and bailiff of the Chiltern Three Hundred.

As the war of words escalated, Conservative sources told The Guardian that Sunak would bar Johnson from running again as a Conservative MP before the next election.

While the escalating dispute came ahead of the expected publication on Tuesday or Wednesday of the report by the Privileges Committee investigating whether Boris Johnson misled MPs about partygate

The committee met on Monday to finalize its report on Johnson, who dismissed the inquiry as a “witch hunt” when he dramatically announced his resignation from the House of Commons.

The inquiry is believed to have ruled that Johnson lied to Parliament when he told MPs that Covid rules were being followed in Downing Street despite alcoholic parties taking place at the time of social distancing restrictions.

Johnson accused the committee of “bias” and likened it to a “kangaroo court” in a scathing 1,000-word exit statement Friday after receiving a draft of the report.

He claimed he was being thrown out of Parliament, and MPs were expected to plan to recommend a Commons adjournment of at least 10 days, which could have triggered a by-election in his constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

But Rishi Sunak’s spokesman expressed confidence in the MPs’ work, saying they were doing “exactly what Parliament asked them to do.”

The seven-person committee is chaired by Labor MP Harriet Harman, but has a Tory majority.

“This is a duly established committee that the House has voted to carry out its work,” the prime minister’s spokesman told reporters on Monday.

“The government will not in any way denigrate or criticize the work of the committee which is doing exactly what Parliament has asked them to do.”

The dispute over peerages comes after Johnson reportedly nominated former culture secretary Nadine Dorries, former minister Nigel Adams and Cop26 chairman Sir Alok Sharma for peerages. Ms Dorries and Mr Adams have resigned as MPs since being omitted from the peerage list, leaving Mr Sunak facing three by-elections.

One of Mr Johnson’s allies accused the prime minister of “deceptive smearing”, alleging that the number 10 had interfered in the nominations list.

But Sunak said: “Boris Johnson asked me to do something I wasn’t ready for because he didn’t think it was the right thing to do. That was to overturn the decision of the Holac committee or to make promises to the people.

“I wasn’t prepared to do that. Like I say, it didn’t feel right to me. And if people don’t like that, then tough.”

But it was understood that a Johnson ally was still accusing Sunak of secretly blocking peerages for Dorries and others without telling Johnson.

Meanwhile, former Tory chairman Sir Jake Berry said the party now had to figure out how to win the next election with its “best player off the field”.

Pressing Sunak for a major change in policy, he told the Standard: “Now is the time to present a radical tax reform and reduction agenda.” He also said Conservatives needed to maintain Johnson’s “buccaneering spirit that is so attractive to the electorate.”

Amid the turmoil, Sunak sent Michael Gove, who thwarted Johnson’s bid to become Tory leader in 2016 and was later sacked by him when he was prime minister, to repel an attack by Johnson.

The Leveling-up secretary praised his achievements as prime minister, but also said Conservative MPs should focus on the jobs of the British public, rather than those of Westminster.

After Mr Johnson’s departure, Mr Gove said he “felt a sense of sadness at his passing”. But when asked on ITV’s Good Morning Britain who was the best Tory party leader and prime minister, Gove said: “Rishi. The focus he brings, … the intellect he brings, the hard work, the absolute dedication to public service set Rishi apart as a great prime minister.”

But he also praised Johnson, particularly for his leadership in the Ukraine war and in the covid pandemic.

The former prime minister announced on Friday that he was resigning, facing the verdict of the Privileges Committee on whether he misled Parliament on partygate.

he was expected to publish his report very soon.

The inquiry is believed to have ruled that Johnson misled Parliament, possibly recklessly or intentionally, when he told MPs that Covid rules were being followed in Downing Street despite alcoholic parties taking place while distancing restrictions were in place social.

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Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak ‘at war’ ahead of Committee on Privileges verdict on former PM