As it happened: Boris Johnson questioned about partygate by Privileges Committee

Follow below for our coverage of Boris Johnson's evidence to the Privileges Committee over misleading Parliament about partygate.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Boris Johnson has refused to deny that he commented that a leaving event "was the most unsocially distanced gathering in the UK right now".

The former Prime Minister faced a televised grilling by MPs over claims he knowingly misled Parliament over partygate, which could lead to him losing his seat. He was questioned by MPs for almost three-and-a-half hours by the Commons Privileges Committee over his denials that No 10 parties during the pandemic broke lockdown rules.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Johnson swore to tell the truth on the bible before issuing an apology and adding: “I’m here to say to you hand on heart, I did not lie to the House." He also said that it "never occurred" to him that the birthday party event, at which he was fined by the Met, was not in compliance with the rules. If he is found to have deliberately misled the House then he could be suspended as a MP, potentially leading to a by-election in his west London constituency.

Follow NationalWorld's live blog below, as our writers bring you the latest news, reaction and analysis as Boris Johnson is quizzed over partygate by the Privileges Committee.

Keir Starmer asks about Casey Review into Met Police

Labour leader Keir Starmer has asked Rishi Sunak if he backs the findings of the Casey Review, that the Met is institutionally racist, homophobic and sexist. In a roundabout way, Sunak agrees.

Next up Starmer asks Sunak if he will back Labour's policy of universal national vetting procedures. Sunak discusses his meeting with Baroness Casey, but doesn't outright commit to Labour's policy.

Sunak says responsibility lies with Sadiq Khan

Starmer says Casey Review criticises government's hands off approach to policing. He says this is "sheer negligence". Starmer says rape charges (I think he means prosecutions) are 1.6%, and asks why the government isn't backing Labour's plans for sexual offences units in every police force.

Sunak says Baroness Casey says the responsibility for the Met lies with Labour mayor Sadiq Khan. Says relationship between mayor and Met was "disfunctional". He says that the government has published a rape plan and claims that funding has quadrupled since 2010.

Starmer: crime out of control

Starmer says that if the Conservative benches want to crow about prosecution rates of under 2% let them, he adds "they should be ashamed of themselves".

He says crime is "out of control". He asks the charge rate of theft and burglary. Sunak says neighbourhood crime is down by 25%. He says that the government is "on track to reaching our target of doubling the number of rape cases reaching our courts".

Starmer says Sunak is out of touch, and says he should get out of Westminster. Sunak responds by saying North Yorkshire is further away than North London. There's a lot of jeering - probably the worst part of PMQs for everyone viewing. Starmer says that just 4% of thefts are prosecuted.

Sunak comes back by saying crime is down by 50% - a figure which seems hard to believe. The latest ONS figures show total crime decreased by 10%, compared with the pre-Covid year ending in March 2020. Due to the huge decrease in crime during the pandemic, statisticians usually don't compare 2020 and 2021.

Only investigation Sunak involved with 'he ended up being fined'

Starmer says the only investigation the PM has been involved in "ended up with him being fined" over partygate. The Labour leader says that as DPP he has prosecuted countless rapists.

Sunak says that Sue Gray's investigation into partygate found he had no prior knowledge. He references Gray's possible move to Labour. Sunak then says the government are halving inflation, an interesting line given inflation went up today to 10.4%.

What punishments could the former Prime Minister face?

Johnson could face a range of sanctions depending on the outcome of the hearing, my colleague Imogen Howse reports. As the former Prime Minister is insisting that he is innocent, of both intentionally and recklessly misleading Parliament, he will be arguing for no penalty - which could happen. However, other punishments he could face include:

- A written apology

- Docking of salary

- Suspension from Parliament for a specific period

The last of these is the most serious, as if Johnson is suspended from Parliament for 10 or more sitting days, or 14 calendar days, a recall petition could be triggered.

House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle previously confirmed that the Privileges Committee’s findings would fall within the remit of the Recall of MPs Act, following advice from a leading lawyer. If this happens, voters in Johnson’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency will vote on whether there should be a by-election. If 10% of them call for one, a by-election will be triggered.

How likely is a by-election

The Privileges Committee’s preliminary report into the Partygate Inquiry did not look particularly good for Johnson, which is a possible indicator of how today’s hearing could go for him.

The report stated that breaches of coronavirus rules would have been “obvious” to the former Prime Minister, arguing that there is indeed evidence that Johnson misled the House of Commons multiple times - when he repeatedly claimed that no lockdown rules had been broken at Downing Street. The Privileges Committee also cited a series of remarks made by Johnson as proof of its claim - with one of the most damning examples being when the MP remarked he was at “probably the most unsocially distanced gathering in the UK”, during a mid-pandemic leaving party.

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.

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?’”

However the Financial Times is reporting that the committee is reluctant to hand down the most severe sanction which could lead to a by-election. It says the Tory MPs on the committee - of which there is a small majority - are reluctant to deploy the "nuclear option".

Did Boris Johnson knowingly mislead MPs?

The Privileges Committee hearing will kick off at around 2pm, and you can watch the action right here on the NationalWorld live blog. Ahead of the evidence, reporter Ethan Shone has looked at whether Boris Johnson misled MPs - and what he told Parliament.

Covid bereaved families slam Boris Johnson’s ‘flimsy excuses’

Grieving families, who lost loved ones to Covid, have rejected Boris Johnson’s "flimsy excuses" ahead of his Privileges Committee hearing. Campaign group 38 Degrees has been collecting the public’s questions and messages for Johnson. 

Sophie Stuchfield, 39, from Watford, lost her "brilliant" Nan, Kathleen, 99, to Covid-19 after the care home she was living in accepted Covid patients from a nearby hospital.

Reacting to Johnson's written evidence, which was published yesterday, she said: "Reading what Boris Johnson has said, it does make you feel upset, it brings things back. 

“Before he came into power, I had confidence in Boris Johnson, I thought he was a brilliant Mayor of London. But he’s lost all my trust: his total inability to accept when he’s done something wrong is unacceptable. Even when he was fined by the police, he’s still trying to make excuses - it’s another kick in the teeth for us.

Sophie Stuchfield and her nana Kathleen. Credit: 38 DegreesSophie Stuchfield and her nana Kathleen. Credit: 38 Degrees
Sophie Stuchfield and her nana Kathleen. Credit: 38 Degrees

“Ultimately, I do feel the Government didn’t do enough to protect my nan - and when you hear they were partying all through this, it makes it worse. 

“Boris Johnson was responsible for that, he’s the boss, and the buck stops with him. If it was a single event, I could understand him saying he didn’t know about it, but it’s such a long list of occasions where the rules have clearly been broken - he can’t turn around and say he didn’t know this was going on. I don’t believe him at all."

Get the popcorn ready

We're minutes away from Boris Johnson's evidence to the Privileges Committee over partygate. That is, if it starts on time. His political career is on the line, so expect some one liners. A reminder you can watch the hearing in full on this page.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.