When will Boris Johnson give evidence in Partygate inquiry? Date former PM will discuss Covid-19 rule breaches

Boris Johnson will give public evidence about whether he misled MPs over Partygate on Wednesday 22 March, it has been announced.

The former Prime Minister will be questioned by the cross-party Privileges Committee, chaired by Labour MP Harriet Harman, over whether he lied to Parliament when he claimed no rules were broken at Downing Street during the coronavirus pandemic. The session will be held in public - with Johnson’s appearance set to be televised live from 2pm.

It comes just weeks after a preliminary report into Partygate said Covid-19 rules breaches would have been “obvious” to the then Prime Minister, meaning there is evidence that he misled the House of Commons on multiple occasions. Johnson has rejected this verdict and claimed that the inquiry process will “vindicate” him.

Why is Boris Johnson facing an inquiry over Partygate?

Reports of ‘parties’ in government buildings during the coronavirus lockdowns first emerged in late 2021 - and on several occasions, Johnson told Parliament that no rules had been broken.

The then-Prime Minister later admitted his orginal statements had been proven incorrect, both on account of the damning report by civil servant Sue Gray - and his fine from the Met Police, which he received for attending a gathering to celebrate his 56th birthday.

However, Johnson has insisted that he believed the statements he gave in the House of Commons to be true at the time - denying ever deliberately misleading Parliament. This is what the inquiry will look into.

What did the initial report say?

The committee’s preliminary report, written by four Tory MPs, two Labour, and one SNP MP, argued that there was enough evidence to prove that Johnson had misled Parliament over Partygate. A series of remarks made by Johnson were cited as proof of the claim - with one of the most shocking examples being when the MP remarked during a mid-pandemic leaving party that he was at “probably the most unsocially distanced gathering in the UK.”

Evidence also included messages between a Number 10 official and Downing Street’s then-communications director Jack Doyle, where the pair discussed the birthday gathering held for Johnson in 2020. Mr Doyle wrote: “I’m struggling to come up with a way this one is in the rules in my head.” Then, in response to a suggestion that they describe the event as “reasonably necessary for work purposes”, he said: “Not sure that one works, does it? Also blows another great gaping hole in the PM’s account, doesn’t it?’”

Meanwhile, the Number 10 official remarked in a separate exchange that a colleague was “worried about leaks of PM having a piss-up, and to be fair, I don’t think it’s unwarranted”.

The Privileges Committee concluded: “The evidence strongly suggests that breaches of guidance would have been obvious to Mr Johnson at the time he was at the gatherings. There is also evidence that those who were advising Mr Johnson about what to say to the press and in the House were themselves struggling to contend that some gatherings were within the rules.”

How can I watch Boris Johnson give evidence?

Johnson will give evidence as part of the inquiry on Wednesday 22 March. This will be broadcast live on Parliament Live TV, and Sky News is understood to have decided to show his whole evidence session.

The former Prime Minister has also been invited to give written evidence prior to the oral session. If he does provide something, this will be published in its entirety in the public domain.

What happens if Johnson is found to have misled Parliament?

If the inquiry concludes that Johnson misled Parliament and his fellow MPs over Partygate, the Privileges Committee will recommend how he should be punished. The House of Commons will then be allowed to vote on this.

The potential punishments Johnson could be given range from ordering him to apologise - to him being suspended from the House of Commons. If the latter occurs, and he is suspended for more than ten days, it could trigger a by-election in his constituency - Uxbridge and South Ruislip. This means he could lose his seat in Parliament.