Has outgoing UK PM Boris Johnson tested British parliament to its limits? All you need to know

The final months of Boris Johnson's term as British prime minister will bring an end to a contentious time for parliament and the larger political system. His two-and-a-half year tenure in Downing Street have revealed some of the flaws in British constitutional principles, showing how a strong parliamentary majority, murky ministerial and parliamentary rules, and a serious national emergency can give prime ministers an apparent free hand to rule politics and escape scrutiny.

Inappropriate harshness in the House of Commons
Johnson has also shown his ability to skirt regulations governing how MPs can address one another in the House of Commons chamber, frequently using extravagant language to hide attacks. Several MPs have pointed out the irony of how simple it is to be penalised for labelling someone a liar in the House of Commons and how difficult it is to really nail someone down for lying due to the rules of parliamentary discussion during Johnson's term.


MPs may have been misled or even lied to
Johnson's most difficult phase as prime minister occurred in the early months of 2022, when he was accused of lying to parliament.

He constantly denied misleading MPs about what he did and didn't know about parties in Downing Street during COVID lockdowns before images of him attending gatherings surfaced. According to the ministerial code, which establishes the norms that all government ministers must follow, truthfulness and accuracy are "of essential significance." If a minister, including the prime minister, mistakenly declares a lie in the House of Commons, the inaccuracy must be corrected "at the earliest opportunity."



The notorious prorogation of parliament
The relationship between parliament and the government is frequently strained, and understandably so. The administration wants to get its business done, but it must also acknowledge that parliament has the righ to scrutinise and discuss it. At times, the scales tip too much in favour of the government. However, the Johnson administration went considerably further than previous administrations in exploiting this prerogative.

Johnson prorogued parliament in August 2019, abruptly terminating the term and preventing MPs from scrutinising the administration as he attempted to pass his Brexit deal. The Supreme Court eventually had to intervene to rule the measure illegal, in what one MP called "the most scathing judicial condemnation of a government in modern times."

Making press statements before parliament has a chance to vote
The British people were accustomed to watching a live news conference with Johnson or other top government members every day at the pandemic's peak.
But the prime minister, along with all other government ministers, is expected to make any big policy pronouncements before talking to the press. This is plainly stated in the Ministerial Code. The speaker of the House of Commons often chastised Johnson for delivering key statements to the media before informing MPs, stating that the House of Commons "had come second to TV news."

Johnson was developing a new £2.6 million press briefing room, giving prime ministerial broadcasts a permanent location in Downing Street.