'Deranged conclusion'; Boris Johnson’s response to the Partygate report after it's publication

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The Privileges Committee condemned Boris Johnson’s actions during the Covid-19 pandemic

The party is over for Boris Johnson after the Privileges Committee posted their damning report looking into whether the former prime minister lied to parliament over the Partygate scandal during the Covid-19 lockdown.

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While the report found Boris Johnson to be guilty of misleading his parliament at the time when he was the most senior member of the government, Boris was able to read their findings before they were published at 9am Thursday morning.

The 58-year-old released a public statement responding to the report calling the findings ‘rubbish’ and a ‘lie’ after branding the committee a ‘Kangaroo Court’ and ‘prejudiced’ against him.

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson  (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)Former British prime minister Boris Johnson  (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
Former British prime minister Boris Johnson (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images) | Getty

His opening line read: “They told me that it was a kangaroo court. They told me that it was being driven relentlessly by the political agenda of Harriet Harman, and supplied with skewed legal advice – with the sole political objective of finding me guilty and expelling me from parliament.”

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Boris, who formally resigned as a Conservative MP earlier this week, continued in his response labelling the conclusion ‘deranged’ as they were allegedly ‘contradicted by facts’.

The former PM targeted his response mostly to two individuals on the committee namely Harriet Harman and Sir Bernard Jenkin, as allegations surfaced around the latter’s own lockdown rule-breaking, calling them ‘prejudiced’.

He stated: “This report is a charade. I was wrong to believe in the committee or its good faith. The terrible truth is that it is not I who has twisted the truth to suit my purposes. It is Harriet Harman and her committee."

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"It is for the people of this country to decide who sits in parliament, not Harriet Harman."

A TV dramatisation of the Partygate scandal is set to air on Channel 4 tonight (October 3). Set in the government offices during the height of the Covid pandemic, it features a guest appearance by Jon Culshaw as then Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and follows two fictional special advisors caught up in the scandal that contributed to the downfall of the PM.

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