As part of the Partygate inquiry, which will determine whether or not former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson lied to Parliament about his actions during the so-called Partygate scandal, new damning evidence has been released.
The new information points to a drinking culture in Downing Street at the time and suggests that those advising Johnson were aware that the gatherings taking place in Downing Street during the Covid lockdowns were in violation of the UK government’s own guidelines.
Johnson became the first sitting British prime minister to be found guilty of breaking the law when the Metropolitan Police fined him last year for attending one of the gatherings.
The evidence on which Johnson will be questioned when he appears before the panel later this year was published in a report from the House of Commons Committee of Privileges, which contained the new details.
According to the report, there was evidence that Johnson might have lied to Parliament about what he knew about what was happening in Downing Street. It adds, “The evidence strongly suggests that Mr. Johnson would have been aware of guidance violations while he was at the gatherings.”
In relation to a gathering on June 19, 2020, Johnson’s former director of communications is quoted as saying in a WhatApp message: I’m having trouble thinking of a way to put this one in the rules in my head. The director of communications responds, “not sure that one works does it,” to a suggestion that the event be described as “reasonably necessary for work purposes,” which would have been permitted under the rules. Also, does it not leave a significant void in the PM’s account?
According to Johnson, “guidance was followed and the rules were followed at all times” as far as he was aware,
In the end, the Privileges Committee will decide whether Johnson is in contempt of Parliament and whether he misled the House of Commons about his actions. After that, the House of Commons will vote on this.
A violation of the Ministerial Code would occur if Johnson were found to be in contempt while still in office. A breach typically results in a minister’s resignation. Johnson’s fate as a backbench MP is unknown, but Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be under a lot of pressure to discipline him in some way.
According to Johnson and his allies, the report is not credible because it is based on the testimony of Sue Gray, a senior civil servant who has recently been linked to a position working for Keir Starmer, the leader of the official opposition Labour Party.
However, a Privileges Committee spokesperson stated, “This narrative has already been knocked down.” The Sue Gray report is not the basis for the committee’s report. The evidence used in the committee’s report includes: evidence from witnesses who were present either at the time of the gatherings or at the time of preparation for Boris Johnson’s statements to parliament” and “material supplied by the government to the committee in November, including communications such as WhatsApps, emails, and photographs from the official downing street photographer.” Sue Gray was not a witness and was not present at either.
