Iona Fyfe: We should give the Tories zero compassion at next election

As BBC correspondent Ione Wells offered immediate analysis and commentary, protesters in the background played a very slick pre-recorded “Bye Bye Boris” melody.

The death knell to Johnson’s political career and reputation. The first time a former prime minister has been held in contempt of the House of Commons.

It's oot – Boris knowingly and deliberately misled parliament. He lied to parliament, colleagues, the civil service, nurses, doctors, firefighters, front line workers and the wider public; showing nothing but contempt for the families of 227,000 victims who lost their lives to COVID.

Last week, the official UK Covid Inquiry saw families very publicly recounting and emotionally reliving their most painful memories of losing loved ones during the darkest days of the pandemic.

As the inquiry reaches its second week, the release of new partygate “Jingle and Mingle” footage has reinforced the fact that it was always one rule for the Conservatives, and one rule for everyone else.

As Martin Docherty-Hughes MP pointed out during the debate, this is personal. It is personal to every single person in the United Kingdom that died, or those who willingly changed their behaviour to protect the NHS, or who lost their entire livelihoods.

The pandemic was the single most formative experience of my relatively short lifetime. I went from a busy freelancer, freshly graduated from The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland to an anxious, depressed, shut in, terrified to leave the house in fear of catching COVID and exacerbating my already difficult to manage fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue.

Thankfully, I didn’t lose a loved one – I didn’t go through the traumatic pain of not being able to say goodbye to a dying parent or grandparent, but Covid changed my life, my relationships, the trajectory of my career and my physical and mental health forever.

With my family 194 miles away, I like many others spent Christmas 2020 alone, as strict lockdowns were enforced, with people requiring to be back “home” in time for Boxing Day.

My health didn’t allow me to undertake a 7 hour round trip just to spend a few hours with my parents.

Earlier in the pandemic, I had been in recovery from major reconstructive knee surgery. I couldn’t walk far without crutches, but without proper access to physiotherapy or rehab, as all appointments were cancelled, I decided to start walking regularly.

READ MORE: Credit to Lewis Capaldi and Kevin Stewart for speaking about mental health

On one occasion, when sat down for a break in the park, I was swiftly moved on by two police officers, even after showing them my footlong fresh scar on my leg. I became the most deject, lonely and mentally broken I had ever been and was placed on SSRI’s.

I was given no understanding or compassion, and the Conservatives should be given zero understanding or compassion when we vote in the next election.

Not only has Boris Johnson (below) been found to have misled parliament, but also misleading the Privileges Committee.

On having a sly wee peek at the report four days before its publishing, Johnson resigned as an MP with immediate effect, throwing the Tory Party into more by-election chaos.

But an overwhelming amount of attention still seems to be directed toward Margaret Ferrier. I cannot possibly defend the truly awful actions of Ferrier, but the SNP did the right thing immediately removing the whip from her.

Yet Boris Johnson was allowed to continue his historically dreadful premiership for months after the original partygate story broke. 

So what now?

Mike Amesbury MP suggested that those who have received honours from disgraced former Prime Minister should, in the interest and defence of the families who lost loved ones during the pandemic, return them.

Whilst there’s a larger conversation to be had about the antiquated and archaic honours system and House of Lords, I believe Boris Johnson should not only have his ability to dish out honours removed, his former members pass removed, but he should pay back every single pence of the £115,000 per year of Public Duty Costs Allowance that he is paid and receive no such further payments.

Boris Johnson knowingly and deliberately misled parliament and whilst it is of very little solace to those who lost loved ones, their health, or their livelihood during the pandemic, by goodness, it’s high time that this crook has been outed for the perpetual liar that he is.

READ MORE: Boris Johnson: How did Scottish Tory MPs vote on report into ex-PM?

We’re done with hypocrisy, we’re done with the double standards, and I’m personally done with any commentator, media outlet, politician or human who can defend Boris Johnston and his cronies.

Boris may believe that he outmanoeuvred himself and ended his political career on his own terms by resigning a week ago, but last night’s vote truly puts a firm parliamentary stamp on the end of Boris Johnson’s political career. And the fact that spineless Rishi Sunak was absent for the entire proceedings is another debate.