Back in July, I took a stand and called out the prime minister’s lies in Parliament. I was punished by being temporarily suspended.
I have now tabled an Early Day Motion in the hope that Parliament can wrestle ownership of ministerial control from the prime minister.
It is against the Ministerial Code to lie in Parliament; ministers who knowingly lie are expected to offer their resignation to the PM. But the problem is, the person in charge of determining whether ministers have breached the ministerial code is the chief liar, Boris Johnson himself. The lack of consequences makes a mockery of our democracy.
My Early Day Motion (EDM) states that the prime minister should no longer be the guardian of the Ministerial Code, as he has shown a lack of morality to do so.
It calls for the House of Commons to take over responsibility from Boris Johnson, which would mean that MPs would collectively decide whether alleged breaches should be investigated and determine whether ministers have broken the rules. EDMs can be very effective if a lot of MPs sign it, as it indicates the strong view of the House.
I’m delighted to have cross-party support for my EDM, with 87 signatures from eight different political parties after only a few days. It shows the strength of feeling there is among parliamentarians about the conduct of Boris Johnson.
We need to save our democracy before it’s too late. My Early Day Motion is a solid step to doing just that.
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