Great Britain
Ex-prime minister accuses Johnson of contempt for parliament
“This government has done a number of things that have made me very worried”: John Major. Photo: Dominic Lipinski / PA / dpa
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Former Birti Prime Minister John Major is going tough with the current incumbent. Boris Johnson’s government has broken its word on many occasions.
British Conservative ex-Prime Minister John Major has unleashed a powerful broadside against the government of his party colleague Boris Johnson.
“As a lifelong conservative, it seems to me that a lot of what they do is unconservative in its behavior,” said the British Prime Minister from 1990 to 1997 on a radio broadcast on the BBC. Johnson’s government tends to treat Parliament with contempt – and if this continues, it will end badly. Major, then Margaret Thatcher’s successor, has long been considered a critic of Johnson.
“This government did a number of things that made me very concerned: They broke the law, illegally shut down parliament (in 2019). You broke treaties, I am thinking of the Northern Ireland Protocol. You have broken your word on many occasions, ”Major enumerated. The reason for his remarks was the government’s recent action in a controversy surrounding Tory MP Owen Paterson.
A parliamentary committee had come to the conclusion that Paterson had abused his mandate to lobby companies from which he received significant payments as an advisor. According to the committee, he should be suspended from the House of Commons for 30 days over the corruption allegations. Johnson’s ruling party had initially stopped this, but agreed a day later. Paterson finally announced his resignation. Major said of the incident, “I think the way the government did it is shameful, wrong and unworthy of government.” The reputation of Parliament would also be damaged by something like this.