Does parliament really want to be a squalid haven for those who abuse power? | Catherine Bennett | The Guardian

The failure to suspend the Tory MP accused of rape is a mark of dire Commons’ standardsWith Johnsonism no longer a matter for speculation but ever more clearly definable as an expression of the prime minister’s needs and impulses, it was merely a question of time before we saw its impact on sexual politics.Clarifying his views on acceptable conduct beyond what is already observable, Boris Johnson has confirmed that the unnamed former minister arrested on suspicion of serious sexual misconduct will, unlike Julian Lewis, the MP immediately evicted for challenging Chris Grayling, retain the Conservative whip. Continue reading…

The failure to suspend the Tory MP accused of rape is a mark of dire Commons’ standards

With Johnsonism no longer a matter for speculation but ever more clearly definable as an expression of the prime minister’s needs and impulses, it was merely a question of time before we saw its impact on sexual politics.

Clarifying his views on acceptable conduct beyond what is already observable, Boris Johnson has confirmed that the unnamed former minister arrested on suspicion of serious sexual misconduct will, unlike Julian Lewis, the MP immediately evicted for challenging Chris Grayling, retain the Conservative whip.

Continue reading…