Boris Johnson has claimed he did not "intentionally or recklessly" mislead MPs when he denied lockdown rules had been broken over partygate. The ousted Prime Minister accepted that he misled MPs but insisted his denials were made “in good faith” based on what he “honestly” knew at the time.
He said he "relied on assurances I had received from my advisers" but it turned out that "those assurances were wrong." Johnson published his written evidence to the Privileges Committee inquiry on Tuesday morning.
On Wednesday, he faces a live grilling by the cross-party group of MPs in a hearing that could provoke a by-election. Johnson accepted his denials turned out not to be true but said he corrected the record at the “earliest opportunity”.
But he insisted there is “no evidence at all that supports an allegation that I intentionally or recklessly misled the House". He wrote: “So, I accept that the House of Commons was misled by my statements that the Rules and Guidance had been followed completely at No 10.
“But when the statements were made, they were made in good faith and on the basis of what I honestly knew and believed at the time. I did not intentionally or recklessly mislead the House on December 1 2021, December 8 2021, or on any other date. I would never have dreamed of doing so.”
He said there “not a single document that indicates that I received any warning or advice that any event broke” the rules other than the “assertions of the discredited Dominic Cummings”, his former chief aide.
Johnson rejected the committee’s belief it would have been "obvious" to him that coronavirus rules had been broken. He called the allegation “illogical” and argued that some of those who attended the events “wished me ill and would denounce me if I concealed the truth”.
He wrote: “Far from achieving a ‘cover-up’, I would have known that any deception on my part would lead to instant exposure. This would have been senseless and immediately self-defeating." He said it was “implausible” that he would have known the parties photographed by his official photographer broke rules.
He also said No10 Downing Street is an “old, cramped London townhouse” and that any lack social distancing was not a breach of guidance. He said: “We tried to keep our distance but we knew that proximity was sometimes unavoidable, and we knew that this was acceptable under the guidance.”
He also insisted that the gatherings that took place were "work events". He wrote: “It is simply inconceivable that I would have allowed an event to go ahead if I had known that it would breach the rules or guidance.
“Of course, I wish, in retrospect, that we had given some thought to how these events could be perceived. We should have found a way to make it clearer that these were work events, with the specific purpose of thanking and motivating colleagues for their tireless efforts in fighting Covid-19."
Johnson accepted he personally attended five of the events considered by the committee but said he “honestly believed that these events were lawful work gatherings”. He could face a suspension if he is found guilty of committing a contempt of parliament. This would be if he "intentionally or recklessly" misled the house.
A suspension of more than 10 days could result in a by-election in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat. The full House of Commons would vote on any recommendations the committee makes.
Current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said his MPs will have a free vote on the issue. An estimated £220,000 of taxpayers’ money has been allocated for Johnson’s legal bills.
SNP Westminster Depute Leader Mhairi Black MP said: "It has taken more than a year, but Boris Johnson has finally admitted what we all knew already that he lied to parliament and he lied to the country.
"Boris Johnson has shown no humility whatsoever for the families who lost loved ones during the pandemic and made incredible sacrifices to protect everyone around them. At the same time the former Prime Minister was partying away in Downing Street.
"He is the one who made the rules, but he thought he was above them. Rishi Sunak must remove the whip from Boris Johnson if the privileges committee finds him guilty of deliberately misleading parliament."
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