A British politician never lies to Parliament. He or she may exaggerate, omit, or be economical with the truth; they may even slip, as Winston Churchill once did, into “terminological inexactitude.” But lying? No, never. As Mr. Speaker always reminds us: these are honorable people.
So when Boris Johnson, former prime minister, went before the House of Commons Committee of Privileges on Wednesday accused of lying to Parliament on four separate occasions, it was serious. The committee isn’t a court: it applies parliamentary law, not the laws of the land, and its members are politicians, not judges. But it has the power to possibly end Johnson’s political career if it finds against him.
