Controversy Alert: Grant Shapps Breaks Silence on Commons Privileges Committee amidst Boris Johnson Allegations

Opposing camps within Britain’s ruling Conservative Party exchanged blows on Sunday as the fallout from former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s unexpected resignation from parliament continued.

Grant Shapps, a senior cabinet minister, has defended the Tory-dominated committee of MPs set to condemn Johnson’s behavior this week – insisting they should be allowed to ‘get on with their job’.

Johnson, who resigned as MP on Friday night, fueling a fresh bout of Tory infighting, claimed the cross-party privileges committee was a “kangaroo court”.

He had recently learned he would accuse her in a report due this week of deliberately misleading the House of Commons when he said he was unaware of Downing Street parties during the shutdowns. Covid-19.

The committee – which will hold a final meeting on Monday – was expected to recommend Johnson’s suspension from parliament for more than 10 days, potentially triggering a by-election in his former seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

Shapps, the energy secretary, dismissed the idea that the committee was biased or that Johnson had been kicked out by the “establishment,” noting that the seven-member committee had a conservative majority.

The minister said ‘the world has moved on’ since the Johnson era and downplayed the idea of ​​a Johnson return, recounting Sky News“I’m sure he has a lot of other things he wants to do.”

Johnson said in his statement on Friday that he was resigning “for the time being”, raising the possibility that he could run for another seat in the next general election.

The Allies sought to bolster that possibility on Sunday.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, a former cabinet minister, said Johnson would be “in pole position” to return as Tory leader if there was a future vacancy.

“I would very strongly caution the leadership of the Conservative Party against any attempt to block Boris if he seeks the party’s nomination for another seat,” said Rees-Mogg, who was knighted by Johnson in his honors from resignation on Friday. “The master of the unexpected may have yet another scene to play.”

Rees-Mogg said he expected Sunak to lead his party in next year’s general election. “I’m looking at an unspecified date in the future where Rishi’s hair has turned gray and he decides to retire and Boris goes back on his charger to save the nation.”

Sunak faces three tough by-elections in the coming weeks after two of Johnson’s allies – Nigel Adams and Nadine Dorries – followed his lead and declared they were quitting the Commons.

A conservative insider said “problems will come if we don’t do well”, describing the by-elections as the first big test of Sunak’s leadership. The atmosphere at the party was “already not great and it will destabilize people”, added the person.

The Conservatives have lost several seats with huge majorities over the past two years in Tiverton and Honiton, North Shropshire, and Chesham and Amersham.

“The counter-coup is now well under way,” said David Bannerman, a former Conservative MEP. “Sunak is on borrowed time. Expect more by-elections.

But as of midday Sunday, there were few signs that more MPs would quit in support of Johnson. A Tory MP said: “Boris and Nadine are selfish and they lost. It’s all out of spite. A second said it looked like ‘the agony of Boris’ support in parliament’.