Boris Johnson 'partygate' report: Northern Ireland woman barred from seeing elderly mother during Pandemic blasts 'disgraceful' ex-PM after damning findings by Privileges Committee
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Martina Ferguson was speaking after Parliament overwhelmingly backed a report that found Boris Johnson deliberately misled MPs over lockdown parties at Downing Street.The Commons voted overwhelmingly in support of the report, by 354 to seven.
The cross-party committee's report had found Mr Johnson committed repeated offences when he said Covid rules had been followed at No 10 at all times.Ms Ferguson was unable to see her late mother, Ursula, for nine months during the pandemic as she was resident in a care home - which were all subject to strict visiting restrictions at that time.
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Hide AdTragically, her mother went on to die from Covid in January 2021, prompting Martina to go on and campaign for a public inquiry into how Covid was handled. She is now one of the Campaign Leads for the NI Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group, a branch of the wider UK organisation which has a legal role in the UK Public Inquiry into the Pandemic that started last week.
She was also speaking in the wake of a video being released which showed dancing and drinking at a Downing Street party while the rest of the country was under lockdown.
"I personally feel Boris Johnson and his colleagues' actions are disgraceful," Martina said in relation to the report and a video of a Downing Street party.
"These politicians - Conservatives - are there to serve the public, their constituents - they are not fit for public office.
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Hide Ad"Everyone has been aware of the still images of this party for almost a year now, but when the first ever video emerged last weekend it was shocking and sickening.
"Apparently, this first video was footage from 14 December 2020, at a time when I was visiting my mum in her care home from an outside window.
"This was enforced separation which I and many others didn't agree with. People were locked out of care homes, restricted in hospitals, people died alone and were frightened, people were struggling in our communities and people couldn’t have a proper funeral.
"The human loss is really tragic and the loss of choice and human connection is something that we will never get over. This should never be forgotten."
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Hide AdShe added that the The Privileges Committee report into Mr Johnspon's conduct is "damning".
Any honours extended to Mr Johnson and associates should be revoked and any public duty costs allowances they are entitled to "must be withdrawn" she insisted. "They do not deserve to be in public office ever again.
"The Metropolitan Police should reopen the investigation and take appropriate action - not just ‘consider’ the footage - that’s not good enough."
The Privileges Committee report found that Mr Johnson deliberately misled the Commons by repeatedly telling it, after the Partygate scandal emerged, that Covid rules had been followed at all times in Downing Street.
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Hide AdHe has already admitted MPs were misled by his original statements, but he says he believed them to be true based on assurances from officials.
However, the report found he had "personal knowledge" of breaches.