Ian Blackford had to leave the Commons for refusing to mislead parliament about the PM misleading parliament
Although Sue Gray had her fangs pulled by the Met’s investigation of Covid rule-breaking in Downing Street and Whitehall, the report she was allowed to publish was still pretty damning by anyone’s standards.
Her assessment that there had been a failure of leadership, along with the Met investigation, led to the public, opposition MPs – and some backbench Tories – to conclude that the PM should step down.
Boris Johnson told Parliament he didn’t know anything about any illegal parties at No10 despite TWELVE of them now being referred to police including p*ss-ups in HIS flat, HIS cabinet office & HIS garden. He lied – and that’s a resignation offence.
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 31, 2022
can Boris Johnson be called a liar in the Commons yet or is that still not cricket
— Toby Earle (@TobyonTV) January 31, 2022
Ahead of Johnson’s statement to the House of Commons, the leader of the SNP in Westminster, Ian Blackford, had this to say.
Boris Johnson's position is now completely untenable.
The Prime Minister is guilty of breaking lockdown rules and misleading parliament. He must resign – or be removed from office.
— Ian Blackford (@Ianblackford_MP) January 31, 2022
He repeated his point in parliament, incurring the wrath of the Speaker.
.@Ianblackford_MP: "It's not my fault if the Prime Minister can't be trusted to tell the truth."
The Leader of the Scottish National Party in the House of Commons takes a stand against Speaker Lindsay Hoyle. pic.twitter.com/bFiJnyqVYP
— Mirror Politics (@MirrorPolitics) January 31, 2022
This is where it all gets a bit Twilight Zone. Under parliamentary rules, it is forbidden to call another member of the House a liar even if there’s proof that they have lied.
Ian Blackford has just been marched out of the Commons by a man with a sword
— Nick Eardley (@nickeardleybbc) January 31, 2022
By refusing to mislead the House by adding ‘inadvertently’ to his statement that Boris Johnson had misled the House, Ian Blackford broke the rules.
I’m not given to saying “I can’t even”, but I can’t – and neither could these people.
1.
Quite ridiculous that parliamentary convention doesn't allow MPs to call the biggest liar in British politics a liar. Which is what Boris Johnson is. He should be removed not Ian Blackford.
— Otto English (@Otto_English) January 31, 2022
2.
It is madness that you can lie on Parliament but you can’t call someone a liar, like what in the Harry Potter bullshit
— Mollie Goodfellow (@hansmollman) January 31, 2022
3.
Good on you Ian Blackford.
— Emma Kennedy💙 (@EmmaKennedy) January 31, 2022
4.
Boris Johnson is now under criminal investigation and speaker @LindsayHoyle_MP just kicked Ian Blackford out of Parliament, saying that Blackford is the one who lacks decency for saying Johnson lied.
We're a joke.#SueGrayReport— Femi (@Femi_Sorry) January 31, 2022
5.
Every time Ian Blackford launches another caber of truth into the Tory front bench I become 350% more Scottish.
— Sarah Dempster (@Dempster2000) January 31, 2022
6.
I know Parliamentary procedure is archaic but the notion that Ian Blackford has to be ordered to leave the house because he accused the PM of wilfully misleading the house and yet Johnson continues to wilfully mislead the house is, to put it bluntly, crackers.
— Liz Anderson 🥂📚🖋🏺📷 🍸 (@liz_lizanderson) January 31, 2022
7.
Good on Ian Blackford for just plainly calling Johnson a liar
— James Felton (@JimMFelton) January 31, 2022
8.
How many ‘inadvertent’ lies are you allowed before you’re just a liar?
— Sanjeev Bhaskar💙 (@TVSanjeev) January 31, 2022
9.
You can't call the liar a liar in the House of Lies.
It's the first rule of Lie Club. https://t.co/zuEAZlwHzC— Rik Ferguson (@rik_big) January 31, 2022
10.
Ian Blackford is thrown out the Commons for saying the Prime Minister misled the house because the Prime Minister misled the house.
— Alexander Brown (@AlexofBrown) January 31, 2022
11.
Ian Blackford right now pic.twitter.com/Ic7uvK2ChL
— ʀᴏꜱꜱ ʟᴇꜱʟɪᴇ ᴄᴏᴍɪᴄ (@RossLeslieComic) January 31, 2022
12.
What a country
— Rick Edwards (@rickedwards1) January 31, 2022
13.
Imagine trying to explain this farce to an alien? https://t.co/DgP8AHCGRa
— Rob Harries (@robharries83) January 31, 2022
14.
Not a fan of the honours system in this country but Ian Blackford deserves a medal or award of some description.
— Billy Misanthrope 🌘 (@BillyVacant) January 31, 2022
If Johnson wants to be remembered as the man who broke up the United Kingdom, top work.
Boris Johnson has repeatedly lied and misled Parliament. Everyone knows it.
If telling the truth is a punishable offence, then it proves all the more why Scotland needs to escape this corrupt Westminster system.
— Ian Blackford (@Ianblackford_MP) January 31, 2022
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