Rishi Sunak has been branded “weak and indecisive” after he continued to refuse to say whether he agrees that Boris Johnson lied to MPs about partygate.
The prime minister is already under fire for dodging last night’s Commons vote in which MPs overwhelmingly backed the privileges committee’s report, which found his predecessor guilty of repeatedly misleading parliament.
Sunak’s official spokesman was today pressed by journalists on the PM’s reaction to the result.
But he would only say: “The prime minister thanks the committee for their thorough work and he fully respects the decision of the House on this matter. It was rightly a matter for parliament and not for government.”
Asked how the prime minister would have voted had he been in parliament, the spokesman said: “I wouldn’t get into how he may have voted – that’s the definition of a hypothetical.”
He added: “He felt it was right to enable a free vote to ensure the House could come to a collective view and he respects that view.
“His focus will remain on the public’s five priorities.”
Asked if Sunak agrees with the privileges committee that Johnson misled parliament, the spokesman said: “He respects the decision the House has come to. This follows extensive work by the committee, but beyond that I don’t have anything to add.”
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner told HuffPost UK: “It’s astonishing that a prime minister who promised integrity, professionalism and accountability still doesn’t have an opinion about his disgraced predecessor being found guilty of repeatedly lying to parliament.
“Instead of turning the page on Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak is showing just how weak and indecisive he is. It’s a total failure of leadership.”