Boris Johnson says he misled MPs, but acted in ‘good faith’ on lockdown parties
FORMER Prime Minister Boris Johnson denied allegations that he deliberately misled parliament over rule-breaking parties during Covid lockdowns, publishing evidence ahead of a highly anticipated hearing that he insisted showed he acted “in good faith.”
“I did not intentionally or recklessly mislead the House on 1 Dec 2021, 8 Dec 2021, or on any other date. I would never have dreamed of doing so,” Johnson said in his submission to a parliamentary committee.
“I accept that the House of Commons was misled by my statements,” he said. “But when the statements were made, they were made in good faith.”
The so-called Partygate scandal led to Johnson becoming the first prime minister in British history to break his own laws while in office. Revelations of alcohol-fuelled gatherings in Downing Street during 2020 and 2021 eroded trust and contributed to his downfall as premier last summer. Now Johnson is facing an inquiry into whether he misled parliament.
In a 52-page legal submission to Parliament’s Privileges Committee, published on Tuesday (Mar 21), Johnson conceded that he had made inaccurate statements in the House of Commons, but said he corrected the record at the earliest available opportunity.
“It is important to be frank: this amounts to an allegation that I deliberately lied to parliament,” Johnson said. “But it is also an allegation that extends to many others. If it was ‘obvious’ to me that the Rules and Guidance were not being followed, it would have been equally obvious to dozens of others who also attended the gatherings I did.”
Johnson will speak in his own defence during a four-hour televised appearance before the Privileges Committee on Wednesday. If he is found to be in contempt of parliament, he could be suspended from the House of Commons. Any suspension longer than 10 days could prompt a recall by-election in his constituency.
Johnson’s legal team argue the committee has changed the definition of misleading parliament because since 1963, MPs have been investigated over whether they misled the House of Commons “deliberately” – but the current committee decided it wasn’t necessary for it to prove intent, just that Johnson had “recklessly” misled parliament.
The committee is yet to publish its final verdict, but an initial update earlier this month suggested Johnson may have misled parliament multiple times, citing photograph evidence that “strongly suggests that breaches of guidance would have been obvious to Mr Johnson at the time he was at the gatherings.” BLOOMBERG
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