Rayner: Privileges committee evidence “absolutely damning” for Johnson

Angela Rayner has declared that evidence presented by the privileges committee is “absolutely damning” for Boris Johnson after the committee said the former Prime Minister may have misled MPs about ‘partygate’ on multiple occasions.

The cross-party committee today released a report summarising the issues that will be discussed with Johnson in an upcoming evidence session, as part of its inquiry into whether he misled parliament. The committee said the session would take place in the week beginning March 20th.

The report said there is “evidence” MPs “may have been misled” on multiple occasions, including when Johnson said no rules or guidance had been broken in No 10 and when he failed to tell MPs about his knowledge of gatherings during which the rules had been broken.

The report also said parliament may have been misled when Johnson said he relied on repeated assurances that the rules had not been broken. It noted that Johnson had “personal knowledge about gatherings, which he could have disclosed”.

Commenting on the findings, the deputy Labour leader said: “The evidence in this report is absolutely damning on the conduct of Boris Johnson, not just in the crime but the cover-up. All the while, Rishi Sunak sat on his hands, living and working next door but doing nothing to end the rule-breaking.

“While families up and down the country dutifully followed the rules – unable to visit loved ones, missing weddings and funerals – Boris Johnson was repeatedly holding drinks and social events at the heart of government, events attended by the current Prime Minister.

“If Rishi Sunak is to meet his promise of integrity and accountability, he must stop propping up his disgraced Prime Minister and his legal defence fund, fully endorse the committee’s recommendations and make clear that if Boris Johnson is found to have repeatedly misled parliament his career is over.”

A Metropolitan Police investigation into gatherings held in Downing Street in breach of Covid restrictions resulted in 126 fines being issued to 83 people, including to Johnson, his wife Carrie Johnson and Sunak.

The final report published following a separate investigation by senior civil servant Sue Gray concluded that “the senior leadership at the centre, both political and official, must bear responsibility” for the “culture” at the “heart of government”.

The privileges committee report said today there was evidence that a “culture of drinking in the workplace” in some parts of No 10 continued after Covid restrictions began and that events such as birthday parties and leaving parties for officials continued despite workplace guidance on social distancing.

The report 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 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.”

The report included a WhatsApp sent by Downing Street director of communications Jack Doyle to a No 10 official, in which he said, in relation to a gathering on June 19th 2020: “Haven’t heard any explanation of how it’s in the rules.”

In a separate exchange in relation to the gathering, Doyle said to an official: “I’m struggling to come up with a way this one is in the rules in my head.”

In response to a suggestion that the event could be described as “reasonably necessary for work purposes”, Doyle said: “Not sure that one works does it. Also blows another great gaping hole in the PM’s account doesn’t it?”

Responding to the report, Johnson claimed that it “vindicated” him, adding: “It is clear from this report that I have not committed any contempt of parliament.”

“There is no evidence in the report that I knowingly or recklessly misled parliament, or that I failed to update parliament in a timely manner. Nor is there any evidence in the report that I was aware that any events taking place in No 10 or the Cabinet Office were in breach of the rules or the guidance,” the former Prime Minister said.

It was announced on Thursday that Gray has resigned from her role as second permanent secretary. A Labour Party spokesperson confirmed that the civil servant has been offered the position of Labour leader Keir Starmer’s chief of staff and said she “hopes to accept the role subject to the normal procedures”.