As if it were in any doubt, Harriet Harman has once again revealed the political nature of the Priviliges Committee’s campaign against Boris Johnson. Speaking to Iain Dale at Edinburgh Fringe, the marsupial mastermind first defended her investigation – denying it was a Kangaroo Court – right before describing how they would prepare for sessions by mocking the former Prime Minister. The show trial’s rehearsals featured “absolutely hilarious” impressions of Boris Johnson, then a sitting MP, by a Commons Clerk. Harriet continued:
“We had two whole days of rehearsals of it, with one of the clerks being Boris Johnson, which was absolutely hilarious because he was ruffling his hair and roleplaying. And normally the clerks are very staid, sober, rational, logical people; but he really took to it.”
Seems a little roo-de…
Jacob Rees-Mogg has had his say during the Commons debate on the Kangaroo Court Privileges Committee’s supplementary report. The erudite Erskine May expert systematically dismantled the report, joking about the absence of a co-ordinated campaign and questioning its procedural basis:
“Why did the Committee not follow the procedure properly set out by the House in 1978? Why were the safeguards ignored? This is before coming onto the matter that others have raised about individuals being named and referred to without any ability to answer”
Guido notes a fitting presence in the Speaker’s Chair… one Eleanor Laing.
While it might not have matched the box office value of Boris’s appearance last year, Sir Chris Bryant did at least provide some light entertainment at today’s Liaison Committee hearing. The Civility in Politics winner grilled Rishi over his poor attendance at PMQs – he’s missing the next two appearances – and kicked up a fuss over the Kangaroo Court’s report. Apparently Zac Goldsmith needed to apologise for attacking the ‘roos because he was a minister; the other 7 MPs named in their report should make up their own mind. Rishi hasn’t actually read the full 30,000 word report, though Guido can hardly blame him. There was also some confusion over which report Bryant was actually talking about in the first place: the 30,000 word doorstop, or the 14 page whinge about the Court’s critics. Bryant thought the latter was only 3 pages, for some reason…
Earlier in the hearing, Rishi also claimed there is no such thing as the blob in Westminster:
Whitehall’s office occupancy stats might beg to differ…
Following Zac Goldsmith’s scathing resignation letter this morning, in which he claimed he was quitting over the government’s “apathy” to climate change, Downing Street have now published Rishi’s reply, which tells a slightly different story. Goldsmith supposedly refused to apologise for calling the Privileges Committee “a Kangaroo Court”…
“You were asked to apologise for your comments about the Privileges Committee as we felt they were incompatible with your position as a Minister of the Crown. You have decided to take a different course.”
Not one to be bounced into an apology…
Read the full letter below (don’t worry, it is shorter than Goldsmith’s):
UPDATE: Goldsmith responds, calling Number 10’s briefing “misleading” and adding he is happy to apologise:
“In response to some misleading briefing from Number 10, I’d like to make clear I am happy to apologise for publicly sharing my views on the Privilege Committee. I firmly believe our Parliamentary democracy can only be strengthened by robust exchange and scrutiny and Parliamentarians should of course be free to be critical of its reports & proceedings. But as a Minister I shouldn’t have commented publicly. Number 10 asked me to acknowledge that and made clear there was no question of my being sacked if I did so. I was -and am- happy to do so.
In the scheme of things, neither my comment about the Committee nor N10’s request are of consequence. However the substance of my letter to the Prime Minister absolutely are.
My decision to step down has been a long time coming. As I explained in my letter to the PM, I have tried hard in recent months to protect and build upon a strong UK record of international environmental leadership. That job has become significantly harder on his watch and I am saddened by the damage being done to our reputation globally as a result. When I compare what I and my amazing team in government were able to do before the current PM took office with the lethargy of today, I can no longer justify being in government. I sincerely hope he reflects on the substance of my letter and of similar views expressed by so many others.”
Nadine has weighed in on the Kangaroo Court’s 14-page whinge published this morning… by telling TalkTV’s Vanessa Feltz the marsupials should “put their big girl and boy pants on“:
“So first of all, I think they need to grow up and put their big girl and boy pants on, and stop crying about hurty words. This is a democracy where free speech reigns, they need to get over themselves. Secondly, I absolutely agree that the Privileges Committee has proven in its report that MPs cannot mark their own homework. They think they’re above the law…”
Clearly the Privileges Committee was not obstructed from going about its business by public criticism. They just didn’t like it.
Conservative MPs have jumped on the publication of the kangaroo court’s supplementary report into a “co-ordinated campaign of interference” to slam the “petulance” of the Privileges Committee. The committee’s report accused MPs making (perfectly justified) criticisms of launching “an attack on the legitimacy of parliament itself”. It’s a bit of a leap…
The report, which named seven Tory MPs, including Nadine Dorries and Jacob Rees-Mogg as well as three Lords, was criticised by Mark Jenkinson for “gross overreach”. He then pointed out a mistake in the report, which referenced a tweet about the media – not the committee…
Brendan Clarke-Smith also spoke up, saying the report “raises serious questions about free speech in a democratic society”, before Michael Fabricant blasted the “paranoid” and “petulant” kangaroo court on Times Radio:
He added marsupial mastermind Bernard Jenkin should “explain himself” over lockdown parties…
