Many constituents have contacted me regarding the inquiry into former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and whether he misled the House of Commons, a matter which was referred to the Committee of Privileges on 21st April 2022.

After 14 months deliberation, hearing from witnesses, and examining the evidence, the Committee recently reported its final judgement that the House of Commons had been misled. I believe this should have been accepted, and furthermore as a principle, I do not believe that members of the House of Commons should vote on the judgements of the Privileges Committee.

The matter had been unanimously referred to the Committee and it is my view that a report by the Committee, which is made up of cross-party MPs, should have been passed ‘on the nod’ and without a formal vote, and, therefore, recorded as unanimously accepted, as a matter of course.

Indeed, that was likely to be the case, however, Members from the Opposition shouted ‘no’ to oppose the report and forced a vote. With only 6 MPs voting against the motion to approve the report, this was an unnecessary vote.

I support the Committee and thank the Members for their hard work and dedication during this difficult and high-profile inquiry.

Having heard from so many constituents about the sacrifices they made during lockdown and the pandemic, the report made for difficult reading, and I understand the hurt that many will be feeling as a result of the findings.

It is important that we now move on from this and I will continue to work hard delivering on my constituent’s priorities.