Boris Johnson knowingly misled parliament over partygate, privileges committee finds

A parliamentary inquiry has concluded that Boris Johnson knowingly misled parliament a number of occasions in his statements about events in Downing Street that breached COVID guidelines.

The former prime minister has been underneath investigation by the Commons privileges committee since final June, after an investigation by police after which senior civil servant Sue Gray confirmed a sequence of gatherings had taken place in Downing Street throughout lockdowns.

The cross-party committee, led by Labour MP Harriet Harman, has been assessing whether or not Mr Johnson misled parliament – both recklessly or intentionally – along with his statements claiming all COVID guidelines and steering have been adopted by Number 10.

The publication of the report comes after Mr Johnson dramatically stop as an MP on Friday after receiving its draft findings.

He launched a blistering assault on the committee in his resignation assertion, accusing it of “egregious bias” and claiming its MPs have been decided to “drive me out of Parliament”.

His legal professionals submitted a response to the privileges committee at 11.57 on Monday evening, prompting a delay to the anticipated publication of the report.

In a press release on Tuesday, Mr Johnson criticised the delay and dismissed the committee’s findings, saying: “The Privileges Committee ought to publish their report and let the world decide their nonsense.

“They have no excuse for delay. Their absurdly unfair rules do not even allow any criticism of their findings. I have made my views clear to the committee in writing – and will do so more widely when they finally publish.”

In a last-ditch try to disparage the Tory-majority panel on the eve of publication, he referred to as for its most senior Conservative member to resign.

He accused Sir Bernard Jenkin of “monstrous hypocrisy” after the Guido Fawkes web site reported the MP had gone to a drinks get together in Parliament held by Commons Deputy Speaker Dame Eleanor whereas COVID restrictions have been in place in 2020.

But Mr Johnson was accused of making an attempt to distract from the report’s findings by opposition MPs, whereas a supply near the committee reportedly dismissed the intervention as “desperate stuff”.

Sir Bernard has been contacted whereas a consultant for Dame Eleanor declined to remark.

The committee has collected proof, together with WhatsApp messages, emails and photographs, from these understood to have been on the events and people with data of them.

Ahead of being questioned by the committee in March, Mr Johnson accepted he misled parliament however insisted his statements have been made “in good faith”.

In his 52 pages of written proof, supplied earlier than his oral session, he mentioned it was “unprecedented and absurd” to say that counting on assurances from “trusted advisers” was “in some way reckless”.

He additionally mentioned whereas he personally attended 5 of the occasions thought of by the committee, he “honestly believed that these events were lawful work gatherings”.

In an interim report revealed in early March, the committee mentioned the proof strongly recommended breaches of coronavirus guidelines in No 10 would have been “obvious” to Mr Johnson.

The committee mentioned it had recognized at the very least 4 events the place Mr Johnson could have misled MPs, together with when he instructed parliament in December 2021 that no guidelines or steering have been damaged – when subsequent investigations by Ms Gray and the Metropolitan Police discovered in any other case.