BORIS Johnson has been cleared for likening women in burkas to bank robbers and letterboxes. A disciplinary panel said he was fully entitled to use “satire” to make his point. Tory party chairman Brandon Lewis had demanded the former Foreign Secretary apologise for comments made in a Daily Telegraph column in August. But an independent panel, chaired by Naomi Ellenbogen QC, ruled he did not break the Conservatives’ code of conduct. It is understood to have found he was “respectful and tolerant”. It also said it would be “unwise to censor excessively the language of party representatives or the use of satire to emphasise a viewpoint”. Mr Johnson had said he expected women to remove face coverings at his surgery. Universities should be able to do the same if a student looks “like a bank robber”, he wrote. BENEFITS BUNGLE 4,600 disabled people wrongly had benefits taken away, ministers admit JEZ MELTDOWN Corbyn rages at 'utterly … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson cleared over ‘satirical joke’ comparing women in burkas to ‘bank robbers’ and letterboxes
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Boris Johnson cleared by disciplinary panel over burka comments
News / UK and world by Press Association December 20, 2018, 10:02 pm FacebookTwitterLinkedInWhatsAppEmail Send us a story Sign up to our Daily newsletter Boris Johnson has been cleared of breaking the Conservative Party’s code of conduct over his comments about veiled Muslim women. An independent panel investigated the former foreign secretary’s comments after he used a newspaper column to suggest females wearing the burka looked like letter boxes or bank robbers. His comments triggered a furious response from senior Tories, with demands for an apology from party chairman Brandon Lewis. The panel is understood to have found he was “respectful and tolerant” and was fully entitled to use “satire” to make his point in his Daily Telegraph column in August. An ally of the former foreign secretary suggested Mr Lewis should “do the honourable thing” and apologise to Mr Johnson. In the article, Mr Johnson said he … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson cleared by disciplinary panel over burka comments
Exclusive: Boris Johnson cleared of wrongdoing in burka row as QCs uphold right to free speech
Boris Johnson has been cleared of breaking Tory party rules after a four-month free speech row over his comparison of women wearing burkas to “bank robbers”. An independent panel of legal experts ruled that the former foreign secretary had been fully entitled to use “satire” to make his point in a column for The Daily Telegraph in August. Friends of Mr Johnson accused Brandon Lewis, the Conservative Party chairman, of conducting a “witch hunt” against Mr Johnson, who is seen as a potential successor to Theresa May. They called on Mr Lewis to apologise for what they regard as deliberate attempt to “smear” Mr Johnson by using heavy-handed tactics in response to his column, in which he defended... To continue reading this article Start your free trial of Premium Access all Premium articles Subscriber-only events Cancel any time Free for 30 days then only £2 per week Try Premium Access one Premium … [Read more...] about Exclusive: Boris Johnson cleared of wrongdoing in burka row as QCs uphold right to free speech
Boris Johnson warns public would feel betrayed by second Brexit referendum
A second Brexit referendum would provoke “instant, deep and ineradicable feelings of betrayal”, Boris Johnson has warned, as two of the Prime Minister’s most senior allies were accused of secretly preparing for a new vote. Gavin Barwell, Theresa May’s chief of staff, allegedly said a second referendum was “the only way forward”, while David Lidington, her de facto deputy, was accused of trying to build a “cross-party coalition” for a new vote. Writing in The Telegraph, Mr Johnson suggests they must be “out of their minds”, as he warns the public would be “utterly infuriated” if Britain were to be put through the “misery and expense” of another referendum. Mr Johnson describes the idea that the... To continue reading this article Start your free trial of Premium Access all Premium articles Subscriber-only events Cancel any time Free for 30 days then only £2 per … [Read more...] about Boris Johnson warns public would feel betrayed by second Brexit referendum
Will Boris Johnson become the next Prime Minister? The latest odds on who will take over from Theresa May
AS Prime Minister Theresa May saw off a vote of no confidence from her own party, BoJo's chances of getting the keys to No. 10 became a little less likely. But what are the odds of the former Foreign Secretary and Mayor of London taking the prime position anyway? Here's the latest. Will Boris Johnson be the next Prime Minister? The bookies currently have Boris at 4/1 to be the next PM, joint favourite with Jeremy Corbyn. The pair are closely followed by Dominic Raab (at 11/2), Sajid Javid (at 6/1) and both Jeremy Hunt and Michael Gove (at 8/1). The Former Foreign Secretary is still a hugely popular figure among Tory grassroots and the general public. He drew a huge crowd to hear him bash Theresa May's Brexit plans in a barnstorming speech at the Tory conference in Birmingham. Boris quit as Foreign Secretary on July 9 in a killer blow to May's government. He walked out just hours after she lost Brexit Secretary David Davis over her Chequers plan to keep close ties to Brussels. … [Read more...] about Will Boris Johnson become the next Prime Minister? The latest odds on who will take over from Theresa May