Mr. Johnson will face a parliamentary investigation into whether he misled MPs about lockdown-breaking parties at No10.

The Prime Minister, who has been accused of lying about lockdown parties after being fined by the Metropolitan Police, insists he has “nothing to hide”.

MPs were unanimous in their decision on Thursday, agreeing that a committee should look into whether the Prime Minister misled them.

Speaking on LBC’s Tonight with Andrew Marr, Mr. Blackford said: “I suspect as you’ve been talking there that this story’s not going to go away. We’ve got local elections in a couple of weeks, but we know beyond that we’re going to see the judgement on the investigation that they’re still carrying out.

“I don’t believe that Boris Johnson is going to remain the Prime Minister for too much longer.”

He added: “I even wonder, Andrew, whether we’ll actually really get to the meat of any inquiry because I suspect in the cold light of day and Conservative MPs look at the hard facts on what’s going on, they’ll make their own judgements on this.”

When asked by Andrew on his speech to the House of Commons where he called Boris Johnson a “liar”, Mr. Blackford – who took advice from clerks – said: “You have to be careful for very good reasons.”

“I think you know I’ve been fairly dogged the last few months about holding the Prime Minister to account. I’m pleased Parliament acted in the way it did today.”

“I’m pleased that members across the House have responded how they have because I see this as a very serious moment for a Prime Minister that has been charged by the police and had the fixed penalty notice – the lying to Parliament that I’ve talked about, and what I believe is, misleading the House of Commons.”

Read More: Boris Johnson vows to fight on to next election as Tories given free vote on Partygate

It comes after Mr. Blackford made a speech to the House of Commons that repeatedly called Mr. Johnson a “liar.”

Speaking to the House, Mr. Blackford said: “Mr. Speaker, there is one reason why it is so important that this motion is debated and passed today.

“Because, at the very heart of the scandal there is one thing that needs to be said, one thing that needs to be heard and it is the very reason that we all need to act.

“The reason is this that the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is a liar.

“I honestly believe that it is right that we are slow to use that word, but I equally believe that it is right that we should never be slow to say it and to call it out when it is so obviously true.”

Mr. Blackford added: “Members across this House know it to be true and the public have long known that.

“And that is why it needs to be said today and why we all need to act.”

The comments were not met with an intervention by Speaker of the House Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

When asked by Andrew how Mr. Blackford could make the comments, he replied: “In the context of that debate, where I was talking about the Prime Minister’s behaviour, then it’s permissible in those circumstances to be able to use that word in a way that you wouldn’t normally do – and for very good reasons.”

Mr. Johnson will be referred to the Parliamentary Privileges committee for the investigation, but the probe won’t start until after the Met has completed its inquiry.

But a Metropolitan Police spokesman said earlier: “Whilst the investigation will continue during the pre-election period, due to the restrictions around communicating before the May local elections, we will not provide further updates until after May 5.”

Source: https://www.lbc.co.uk/politics/boris-johnson-wont-remain-prime-minister-much-longer-ian-blackford/

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Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has told Sky News he is to call in police after claims that drug abuse is rife in the Houses of Parliament.

Sir Lindsay is demanding a drugs crackdown – including sniffer dogs prowling the corridors – amid growing evidence of cannabis and cocaine being used openly.

Allegations include a claim that a former MP put his drug dealer on the parliamentary payroll, claiming he was a member of staff, as a way of paying him for drugs.

And, according to a report in The Sunday Times, the same former MP is rumoured to have dealt drugs himself and at least one parliamentary aide has been sacked for taking cocaine.

Responding to the report, Sir Lindsay told Sky News: “The accounts of drug misuse in parliament given to The Sunday Times are deeply concerning, and I will be raising them as a priority with the Metropolitan Police next week.

“I expect to see full and effective enforcement of the law.

“While parliament provides extensive support services for any staff or members who may need help with drug misuse – and I would encourage anyone struggling with such issues to take up such help – for those who choose to flout the law and bring the institution into disrepute the sanctions are serious.”

Sir Lindsay, who is 64 and is diabetic, has spoken out against drug abuse in parliament since he became Speaker in November 2019.

Speaking during his campaign to succeed John Bercow, he said: “It’s not just drink we’ve got to catch out, there is a drug problem. I genuinely believe that counselling and real support should be available for all staff and members.”

In another move to crack down on drug abuse at Westminster, the House of Commons Commission, responsible for the running of the Commons, is to discuss the issue next week.

“The House of Commons has a long history of sniffer dogs being used to detect explosives,” Tory MP Charles Walker, who chairs the administration committee, told The Sunday Times.

“It may be that we now need to broaden the range of sniffer dogs to include those which can detect drugs.”

The Sunday Times reported that Commons officials received reports last month that cannabis could be smelt in an open space between Portcullis House and 1 Parliament Street.

This came after it was revealed that two drug dealers were arrested, and 13 people were detained for drugs possession in or near parliament in the space of a year.

The Sunday Times also reported that drug detection wipes found evidence of cocaine in 11 out of 12 lavatories tested in the building, including some restricted to parliamentary pass holders.

The locations were said to include lavatories near the offices of Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel and a disabled bathroom on the Shadow Cabinet corridor in the Norman Shaw North building.

Figures released by the Metropolitan Police under freedom of information laws show there were 17 drug crimes in or near parliament in the past year, and police investigated 38 offences between 2015 and 2018.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/commons-speaker-sir-lindsay-hoyle-to-call-in-police-over-claims-of-drug-abuse-in-the-houses-of-parliament-12487771

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