London: Former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has stepped down as a Tory MP after claiming that he was “forced out of Parliament” over Partygate.
The former Prime Minister saw in advance a report by the Commons Privileges Committee investigating if he misled the Commons over Downing Street lockdown parties, the BBC reported.
Johnson said that he was “bewildered and appalled” after receiving a letter from a House of Commons committee, CNN reported. His resignation now triggers a by-election in his marginal seat.
The Privileges Committee said that Johnson had called into question the integrity of the House of Commons, the British news broadcaster reported.
The MP-led committee – which has a majority of Conservative MPs – said it would conclude its inquiry on Monday and “publish its report promptly”.
In his resignation statement issued on Friday, Johnson described the committee as a “kangaroo court” whose purpose “from the beginning has been to find me guilty, regardless of the facts”.
Johnson previously admitted misleading Parliament when he gave evidence to the committee in a combative hearing in March – but denied doing it on purpose.
He said that social distancing had not been “perfect” at gatherings in Downing Street during Covid lockdowns but insisted the guidelines, as he understood them, were followed at all times.
Chaos In Japanese Parliament Over Anti-Refugee Bill, Lawmaker Throws Fists To Stop Procedure
Battle Royale: Chaos In Japanese Parliament Over Anti-Refugee Bill, Lawmaker Throws Fists To Stop Procedure
Tokyo: An uncommon scene from the Japanese parliament has recently taken over the Internet. While the Japanese parliament, and the whole of Japan for that matter, is known for their polite and sedate mannerisms, a video that captured an unmediated brawl in the chamber went viral online.
In the clip, it seems as though a member standing in the back jumps in to interrupt the goings of the parliament. The member who launched the disturbance was identified as Taro Yamamoto, the ‘Battle Royale’ actor and leader of the Reiwa party.
As it turns out the left-wing lawmakers engaged in a brawl with other parliamentarians in an attempt to block a controversial immigration bill. While the Liberal Democratic Party along with two opposition parties, the Democratic Party for the People and Nippon Ishin no Kai, voted in favour of the bill, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) opposed the legislation.
The two parties rallied to remind the parliament that the bill did nothing to protect the rights of asylum-seekers and refugees and ignored any improvement in the current treatment of detainees stuck in immigration facilities.
Although the protest started as parties vocalized their opinions, Yamamoto shifted the tide by jumping into the crowd as he seemed to be trying to reach the discussion table.
Opposition leaders gathered around Hisatake Sugi, the chairman of the committee, by the end of the initial question-and-answer session to stop the law from passing. Despite all the chaos of the left-wingers, the bill which overhauls immigration rules eventually passed a key upper-house committee.
Twitter user Jeffrey J. Hall shared Yamamoto’s explanation of his actions in the parliament and wrote, “Reiwa Party leader Yamamoto Taro explained his actions to an audience of supporters last night: Because the revised law will cause people to lose their lives, he felt compelled to physically stop its passage. The LDP had 10 lawmakers on hand to block him.”
India showing mirror to world today: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla
New Delhi, Jun 10 – When India adopted parliamentary democracy post independence many countries doubted the country’s potential, but today it is showing the mirror to the world, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has said.
Presenting Lions Club International’s ‘Roar to Restore’ SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) awards to 20 individuals and organisations here on Friday, Birla also said India will lead the world in every field in the coming days.
“The coming time belongs to India, whether it is economic, social, political or democratic. There is a discussion of India’s SDG everywhere. We had a long discussion on the platform of Parliament to achieve the goals of SDGs and how can we contribute to achieving the SDG goal,” he said.
“When India adopted parliamentary democracy after independence, many countries felt that with such a large population and geography, the country with this situation may not be able to do anything but today India is showing the mirror to the world,” Birla said at the event.
“Our strength has increased due to the new thinking of the youth. Today the youth is doing exceptionally well in every field. India’s intellectual capacity has also increased. I am happy that in the coming days, India will lead in every field in the whole world,” he added.
He also commended Lions Club’s efforts towards achieving the SDG goals and said the club is working dedicatedly across the country.
“With positive changes, we have achieved many goals from the round table discussion on SDG goals that took place today. Apart from the people of the corporate world, the government is also working to bring about a change in the society regarding the four SDG goals,” the Lok Sabha speaker said.
