LONDON: Jacob Rees-Mogg, a former cabinet minister, has cautioned the Conservatives against attempting to prevent Boris Johnson from running for office in a different parliamentary constituency.
According to Rees-Mogg, doing so may send the party “into civil war.”
On Friday, Johnson announced his resignation as the MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip due to the Partygate inquiry, the BBC said.
In recognition of his resignation, Rees-Mogg had already received a knighthood.
Any prospective candidate, former MP or not, went through the same procedure, according to a Conservative Party official.
In the meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer demanded an early election, claiming that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had “failed to end” what he called “the Tory chaos.”
Following advance knowledge of a report by the Commons Privileges Committee looking into whether Johnson intentionally misled the Commons about lockdown violations in Downing Street, Johnson resigned as an MP.
On Friday evening, Mr. Johnson released a jarring 1,000-word statement in which he declared: “I have received a letter from the Privileges Committee making it clear – much to my surprise – that they will not hesitate to use the proceedings against me to drive me out of Parliament.”
The committee, he claimed, was a “kangaroo court” whose goal “has been to find me guilty, regardless of the facts,” and the draught was “riddled with inaccuracies and reeks of prejudice.”
Until the committee releases its findings on Mr. Johnson, which is anticipated this week, it won’t be able to affirm the sentence that was suggested.
However, according to two people who spoke to the BBC, the committee’s suggested punishment for Mr. Johnson in the materials it provided him was a more than 10-day ban from the Commons.
The significance of the 10-day window comes from the fact that if the House of Commons authorises the suspension of an MP for 10 or more sitting days, the MP would then be subject to a recall petition in their district, which might result in a by-election.
The former prime minister stated in his resignation letter that he was “very sad to be leaving Parliament,” but added, “at least for now,” leaving open the possibility of a comeback.
Nadine Dorries, a former Cabinet minister and one of his closest supporters, abruptly resigned from her Mid Bedfordshire seat hours earlier.
And on Saturday, another supporter, Nigel Adams, announced his resignation, which led to the Tories calling a third by-election.
Later, speculation regarding Mr. Johnson’s political career included the notion that he would run for another seat, but there is little sign that this is probable.
Johnson could “easily get back into Parliament at the next election,” according to Rees-Mogg, who wrote in the Mail on Sunday, and he would be “in pole position to return as Conservative leader if a vacancy should arise.”
The ex-business secretary said, “I would most strongly advise Conservative Party managers against any attempt to stop Boris if he seeks the party candidature in another seat, though.Any attempt to do so would destroy our flimsy party unity and spark a civil war among Conservatives.
Michael Heseltine, a former deputy prime minister of the Conservative Party, has stated that Mr. Johnson should not be permitted to compete for re-election as a Tory MP.
He writes in the Observer: “To me, it is inconceivable that he could stand as a Conservative member of parliament again in these circumstances.”
Mr. Heseltine responds to the resignation letter of the former prime minister by stating that his audience would be led astray by his use of words. No evident truth or feeling of integrity serve as an anchor.
Johnson will go from Parliament, he continues, and “have little to do with the reality of the mess he left behind.”
In another article in the Sunday Mirror, Starmer accused Mr. Sunak of agreeing to “hand gongs to a cast list of cronies” and failing to oppose Johnson.
He said, “Rishi Sunak must finally develop a backbone, call an election, and allow the populace to voice their opinion on 13 years of Tory failure.
According to a government source, PM Sunak was instead focused on providing “what the British people want.”
