Boris Johnson’s resignation raises the question of whether a series of political scandals related to his time in power will ever be resolved correctly. These are some of the outstanding issues.
Wallpapergate
The source of funding for the renovation of Johnson’s flat on Downing Street and whether it breached the rules is back in the spotlight after the Independent obtained a leak of the bill, which he suggested cost more than £ 200,000.
There is an annual grant of £ 30,000 funded by taxpayers for the Prime Minister for its renewal.
Johnson initially claimed he had spent £ 58,000 on some of the renovations, but it later emerged that the money was lent by millionaire donor and Conservative partner Lord Brownlow, with whom Johnson had exchanged messages asking for funding for the works while committing. to consider plans for the works. a “great exhibition.”
After an investigation, the then Prime Minister’s ethics adviser, Lord Geidt, criticized Johnson for acting “foolishly”, but left him free to break the ministerial code.
Six months before Geidt’s findings, Cabinet Office Minister Lord True told MPs that “the Prime Minister has personally borne any cost of a wider renovation this year.”
Lebedev / Lavrov
On Wednesday, Johnson admitted that when he was Secretary of Foreign Affairs, he met Alexander Lebedev without officials present in April 2018, during a trip to an Italian castle owned by Evgeny Lebedev, the son of the former KGB agent, for a party over a weekend.
On Thursday, Yvette Cooper used an urgent question to the Commons to ask if Alexander Lebedev wanted to arrange a private phone call between Johnson and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during the trip. No substantial response was given, but Lebedev denied the allegations.
Parliament’s intelligence and security committee is investigating the appointment of Evgeny Lebedev as Johnson’s nobleman despite initial concerns raised by MI5 over his father’s previous occupation with the KGB.
See Covid
The pandemic investigation was formally opened last week, but hearings are not expected to begin until next year.
Its terms of reference include government decision-making regarding confinements and residences, as well as the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE). The award of Covid contracts to people with political connections through a non-tender “VIP lane” has been highly controversial.
Distressed families have insisted that Johnson’s departure should not prevent him from being held accountable.
Party door
It is being investigated whether Johnson lied about Partygate and the July 29 deadline for filing evidence has been set.
The House of Commons is investigating whether Johnson deliberately deceived parliament by repeatedly denying that Covid’s rules were violated by the No. 10 offending parties when they were challenged.
He could be ordered to testify under oath in the investigation.
Pincher
The last key to the prime minister’s coffin was his changing history and handling of allegations in relation to his, until recently, his deputy, Chris Pincher.
After Pincher resigned following allegations of palpitations, the No. 10 initially insisted Johnson was unaware of any “specific” allegations when he promoted him in February. Three days later, he acknowledged that he had been personally aware of the allegations against Pincher at the time.
On Tuesday, it was admitted that the prime minister had been informed of an internal investigation that confirmed a complaint about Pincher’s behavior in 2019, but was told in parliament that he “did not immediately remember” that he had been informed.
Pincher has withdrawn the Conservative whip, but remains under pressure to resign as MP, although details of the incident that sparked the 2019 investigation have not been revealed.
Other Conservative MPs under investigation
David Warburton, the Conservative MP for Somerton and Frome, was suspended from the parliamentary party in April following a series of allegations related to sexual harassment and cocaine use.
Warburton, who is married and has two children, told the Sunday Telegraph he had “huge amounts of defense, but unfortunately the way things work makes that not come out first.”
An unnamed Conservative MP was arrested in May on suspicion of rape and other sex crimes. They have not whipped him, but have told him to stay away from parliament.