Partygate: Lib Dems table Bill to force Boris Johnson to admit if fined over Covid breaches

The Liberal Democrats are proposing a Bill to force Boris Johnson and any other government ministers to reveal whether they have been issued with a fine for breaching Covid rules.

Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP will be presenting the Ministerial Disclosure Bill to the Commons this afternoon.

Analysis by the Liberal Democrats has found Boris Johnson could face fines of up to £12,300 for the six gatherings currently being investigated by the Metropolitan Police which is currently suspected of having attended. If Boris Johnson receives a fine, there is currently no legal mechanism to force him to reveal this to the public.

Under the terms of the Liberal Democrat Bill, Boris Johnson and any other government minister who was fined for a breach of Covid rules would have to disclose this to the public.

Alistair Carmichael has also written to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), calling on them to rule out the possibility of the Prime Minister using taxpayer-funded expenses to pay any potential fines he receives.

Alistair Carmichael MP, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Home Affairs, commented: “First Boris Johnson lied about the lockdown parties – now he’s refusing to tell the British public whether he broke the law. It shows he holds the British public with deep disdain and is taking them for fools.

Alistair Carmichael MP

“We’ve never needed a legal mechanism to force ministers to reveal if they’d received fixed penalty notices because we’ve never had a leader as shameless as Boris Johnson. He not only flouts the laws he asked us all to follow, but then repeatedly lies about it.

“Conservative MPs have no excuse – they know that this man is not fit for public office. They should back my Bill so Boris Johnson is forced to come clean. If Johnson is found to have broken the law and fined by the police, he will surely have no choice but to resign.”

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