Michael Gove ‘disagrees’ with Privileges Committee conclusions and will abstain from vote

Michael Gove speaks to the media outside BBC Broadcasting House in London. Credit: PA

Cabinet minister Michael Gove has said he will not vote for the report which found Boris Johnson lied to MPs over partygate because he believes its recommendation of a 90-day suspension was “not merited”.

The Levelling Up Secretary confirmed he would abstain from casting a ballot over the Privileges Committee’s findings that the former prime minister committed “repeated contempts” of Parliament.

He refused to be drawn on whether he believed Prime Minister should turn up to support the conclusions of the report, claiming it is a matter for “each individual” Member of Parliament.

The report recommended that Mr Johnson should have faced a 90-day suspension had he not already resigned in advance of its judgment.

Though he cannot now serve that penalty, the cross-party group of MPs also recommended that he should be banned from holding a pass to access Parliament following a series of offences.

Speaking to the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show, he said: “I dont agree with the conclusion, however, personally… The decision to impose a 90-day penalty is not merited by the evidence that the committee has put forward.”

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If the report is not opposed then it could just be nodded through the Commons, saving Mr Sunak from having to chose between further riling Mr Johnson by backing it, voting against the report and risking public anger, or avoiding the action altogether and facing allegations of being weak.

The sanctions proposed by the Tory-majority committee are expected to pass regardless, with only a relatively small group of Johnson loyalists expected to oppose the report’s findings.

Mr Johnson was privately urging his supporters not to oppose it, arguing the sanctions have no practical effect. He was aware that he would get his pass back if re-elected as an MP.

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