BORIS Johnson is a liar. That's always been a widespread opinion, but now Boris Johnson is officially a liar, having been found to have deliberately and knowingly misled Parliament on multiple occasions in an excoriating report from the House of Commons Privileges Committee.
The committee found that not only is Johnson a liar, but he is also a bully whose behaviour was so egregious that – had he not resigned as an MP in a petulant huff – the committee would have recommended he be suspended from the Commons for 90 days.
Johnson is now the first British prime minister found by MPs to have deliberately misled the Commons.
READ MORE: Four damning lines from the Privileges Committee report on Boris Johnson
His behaviour since receiving an early copy of the report has compounded the original offences. Since the report was published he has continued to attack the committee and is still posing as a victim.
Johnson has never accepted responsibility for his actions at an time in his privileged life, he's certainly not about to start now.
This might play well with his dwindling band of followers – we're looking at you, Alister Jack – and the frothing talking heads on G Beebies "News". But for everyone else it merely confirms Johnson's utter shamelessness and unbounded entitlement. It demonstrates that this deceitful bully was always unfit for high office. That didn't stop Conservatives from defending him and promoting him.
Issues for Boris Johnson echo in Scotland
Douglas Ross is yet again left exposed as a lightweight chancer.
In April 2022, Ross (below) insisted during an interview with BBC Scotland that Johnson was a "truthful man" and strongly rejected allegations that the then Prime Minister had misled Parliament over partygate. I would say that today's report is embarrassing for Douglas Ross, but that merely raises the question of whether a shameless brass neck like him is capable of feeling embarrassed.
Wee Dougie must have been hoping to heap on the pressure on Humza Yousaf following the arrest on Sunday of Nicola Sturgeon as part of Police Scotland's interminable investigation into SNP finances. Instead, we got a very subdued performance from Ross, as he feared that his previous supportive comments about Boris Johnson were about to bite him on the bum. Indeed, Humza Yousaf took pains to remind Ross that no one will forget that the Scottish Tory leader had "backed Johnson to the hilt".
What punishment will Boris Johnson face?
Allan Dorans, the sole SNP MP on the committee with a Conservative majority, wanted to go even further and proposed an amendment to expel Johnson from the Commons.
Since Johnson resigned as an MP rather than face being suspended and the humiliation of a recall by-election which he would almost certainly have lost, the committee decided to impose an additional sanction. It has recommended taking the unprecedented step of stripping Johnson of the pass to which all former MPs are normally entitled.
This step would mean that Johnson is a persona non grata on the Parliamentary estate.
MPs will get a free vote on the committee's report on Monday. Johnson's allies may attempt to soften the report's recommendations, but even Conservative MPs seem now to be tiring of Johnson's attention seeking antics.
However, Johnson (above) remains popular with the Tory grassroots, which have become a cult immune from reality in the same way that the US Republicans continue to support and defend the serial liar and sex offender Donald Trump.
Rishi Sunak's Johnson problem has not gone away. Conservative MPs may fear a backlash from their local associations if they vote to uphold the report. Johnson will not go quietly, and the Tory party will continue to tear itself apart until the next General Election and beyond.
Downing Street has refused to confirm whether Rishi Sunak will be present in the Commons for the vote on Monday. Don't be surprised if he suddenly finds a "crucial" appointment far away from London that he just can't miss.
BBC Scotland faces 'bias' accusations
BBC Scotland is again facing accusations of bias and attempting to protect the Conservative government.
A quote from Scottish Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville about Universal Credit and its effect on young families was read out by presenter Laura Miller and displayed on a screen during yesterday's edition of Och Aye the News, otherwise known as Reporting Scotland.
However, the quote appeared to have been selectively edited to remove a line saying that the Scottish Government is doing all it can to tackle poverty and to protect people from UK Government policies. The part about protecting people from UK Government policies had been omitted.
This risked leaving viewers with the potentially misleading impression that the Scottish Government has the full powers to tackle child poverty. It also removed the vital point that child poverty in Scotland, as elsewhere in the UK, is overwhelming the result of decades of Conservative austerity and attacks upon the benefits system.
But the BBC is as willing to accept that it has done something wrong as Boris Johnson is, so don't expect anything different this time round.
This piece is an extract from today’s REAL Scottish Politics newsletter, which is emailed out at 7pm every weekday with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from the Wee Ginger Dug.
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