Harriet Harman fights back tears after Tory MP’s tribute during Boris debate
Harriet Harman appears tearful after Tory MP's tribute
Harriet Harman appeared tearful following a tribute by a Tory MP in the Commons today.
The moment came as MPs debated a special report by the Privileges Committee that rebuked the conduct of Boris Johnson’s allies.
The Labour grandee chairs the cross-party committee which has been branded a “kangaroo court” and “witch hunt” by the former PM and his loyalists.
But Conservative MP Laura Farris paid tribute to Ms Harman during the debate prompting an emotional reaction.
She said: “The member for Camberwell and Peckham had already announced her intention to retire from Parliament at the next election.
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“A parliamentary that has spanned five decades and has been defined by her commitment to the advancement of women’s rights.
“Fourteen weeks before she took up that appointment (as committee chairwoman) her husband of 40 years, Jack, had died.
“Against this background, I invite members of the House to consider what is more likely – that she agreed to chair the committee as a final act of service to this House or that she did so because she was interested in pursuing a personal vendetta against Boris Johnson.”
Ms Harman appeared close to tears following the show of support by the Tory MP.
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In its special report, the committee accused eight Conservative politicians of a coordinated attempt to undermine the panel’s work.
Those named included former cabinet ministers Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, Dame Priti Patel and Nadine Dorries.
The committee ultimately triggered Mr Johnson’s sensational resignation from Parliament with its partygate report last month.
It found he deliberately misled MPs with his partygate denials and recommended a lengthy suspension that could have sparked a by-election in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.
Mr Johnson’s supporters frequently attacked the Labour-led but Tory-majority panel.
Other MPs quoted in the report included Conservatives Mark Jenkinson, Sir Michael Fabricant, Brendan Clarke-Smith and Dame Andrea Jenkyns while Conservative peer Lord Goldsmith was also named.
Sir Jacob was among those named to use the debate to push back on the accusations against Mr Johnson’s allies.
The former business secretary said: “There are some issues with this report, I think beginning, as it happens, with its title, ‘co-ordinated campaign of interference’… there is no evidence that it was coordinated.”
He added: “I’m not very often coordinated with the official line to take. Indeed, I have always thought that it is politically rather important that members should be independent in what they say and in how they vote, and therefore to make an assertion of co-ordination without evidence is a problem with this report.”
Ms Harman said: “Our special report makes it clear that it’s not acceptable for members fearing an outcome which they don’t want to level criticisms at the committee, so that in the event the conclusion is one they don’t want they will have undermined the inquiry’s outcome by undermining confidence in the committee.”
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