Prime Minister on the ropes
■ Criticised by MPs over Cummings questions ■ Johnson tells them it is ‘time to move on’
BORIS JOHNSON came under intense scrutiny yesterday as he was grilled for the first time as Prime Minister by MPs on the powerful Commons Liaison Committee.
He was accused of failing to answer a number of questions over his controversial aide Dominic Cummings and his alleged breaking of lockdown rules, as well as the Government’s response to the continuing coronavirus pandemic.
Yvette Cooper, chairwoman of the Home Affairs Select Committee and MP for Normanton, Pontefract, and Castleford, said Mr Johnson failed to give “a straight answer” and had “sent all of your ministers out to say fudgey things and unclear things (...) because you are trying not to incriminate Dominic Cummings”.
She said: “The problem is that means you are putting your political concerns ahead of clear public health messages.”
Speaking after the session, Clive Betts, chairman of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee and Sheffield South East MP, said: “I’ve never had a Prime Minister defend someone who is indefensible.” And he said the committee would expect answers to the issues Mr Johnson said he would need to take away.
More Tory MPs announced they thought Mr Cummings should resign during and after the meeting, bringing the total number to at least 43.
But the PM insisted it is time to “move on”, and he rejected a call for Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill to investigate Mr Cummings’s actions during the height of the coronavirus outbreak.
Mr Cummings drove from London to Durham to isolate with his family during the lockdown, and says he subsequently took a trip to Barnard Castle to see if he was fit enough to drive before returning to the capital.
Mr Johnson said he was “deeply sorry for all the hurt and pain and anxiety that people have been
going through throughout this period”, but repeatedly insisted it was time to “move on”. He sought to dismiss it as a “political ding dong” based on inaccuracies but refused to state which aspects of the allegations were untrue.
He was also unable to address a condition of the immigration system which has left people with no state financial support during the coronavirus crisis. He appeared to laugh when asked by MP Caroline Nokes how many women was “enough” for representation in the Government.
Committee chairman Sir Bernard Jenkin said: “It’s not a joking matter though, is it?” Mr Johnson replied: “It’s not, and all I say, Caroline (Nokes), is that it’s incredibly important to us.”
He said he thought there was sufficient female representation helping to inform decisions being taken by the Government on coronavirus – and acknowledged having women in the room makes a “huge difference” to the nature of decisions taken.
Mr Johnson would not commit to appearing before the committee again before the summer, and asked them: “Can I get back to you on that? There’s a lot on at the moment.”