Boris Johnson has admitted that the Commons was "misled by my statements" about Partygate - but insisted he did not do so "intentionally or recklessly".
The slippery ex-PM instead blamed officials for telling him Covid rules had been followed while lockdown-busting parties took place in Downing Street.
He claimed he was “working day and night to manage the Government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic” - even as photographs showed him drinking and joking with colleagues.
And he accused the “media” of weaponising pictures revealing the extent of boozy bashes in No10 - and denied it was “obvious” social distancing rules were being broken.
His lawyers have compiled a 52-page dossier attempting to defend Mr Johnson from accusations of lying to Parliament over pandemic-era parties in Downing Street.
Mr Johnson will be hauled before the Commons Privileges Committee for an explosive showdown on Wednesday over whether he deliberately misled MPs with what he knew about lockdown parties in Downing Street.
The shameless ex-PM insists he will be vindicated by inquiry - despite his allies claiming that he is being stitched up by his enemies.
His legal team submitted his defence to the Privileges Committee on Monday afternoon, but it had to be resent due to "a number of errors and typos" with the final version not sent until this morning, the committee said.
The committee also said he presented "no new documentary evidence".
In the document, Mr Johnson said: "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 1 December 2021, 8 December 2021, or on any other date. I would never have dreamed of doing so."
Mr Johnson argues at length that he was assured by aides that none of the parties broke the rules and told MPs not to trust the "assertions of the discredited Dominic Cummings", his former chief aide.
If you can't see the poll, click here
He said Mr Cummings could not be treated as a "credible witness" because of his "animosity towards me".
In the dossier, Mr Johnson admitted to personally attending five events referred to by the committee, including the infamous BYOB bash in the No10 garden on May 20 2020, his birthday gathering on June 19 2020 and three leaving parties - two in November and one in January 2021.
"I honestly believed that these events were lawful work gatherings," he said.
He said social distancing in No10 was "not always possible" due to the circumstances and the conditions - but argued that the guidance said it had to "implement Covid-19 safety measures as far as possible".
"Of course, I wish, in retrospect, that we had given some thought to how these events could be perceived," he said.
"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 infighting Covid-19. Hindsight is a wonderful thing."
He said he didn't remember quipping that one of the leaving dos on November 27 was "probably the most unsocially distanced gathering in the UK right now" - but admitted "I might well have made observations in speeches about social distancing, and whether it was being perfectly observed".
Mr Johnson said it was "implausible" that he would have known the parties were rule-breaking as they were photographed and "immortalised" by his official vanity snapper.
But he was forced to admit to texting his comms chief on 10 December 2021 asking: "Is there a way we could get the truth about this party out there".
He claimed he used the word party "as shorthand because that it how it was being referred to in the media".
Layla Moran, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus, said: “Boris Johnson’s taxpayer-funded lawyers can cherry-pick messages and throw as many aides under the bus as they like, but the Privileges Committee must ensure the full truth comes out.
“Johnson cannot be allowed to evade accountability. A fully independent, comprehensive inquiry into the actions of his Government throughout the pandemic must be completed as soon as possible, with interim findings published before the next election.”
Becky Kummer, spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, said: "It’s obvious that Boris Johnson deliberately misled Parliament and should resign as an MP.
"Far worse though is the lies he deliberately told to families like mine, after failing to protect our loved ones. His claim that he did so in “good faith” is sickening."
She added: "He isn’t fit for public office and the fact he still thinks he can lie his way out of it tells you all you need to know about his character."
Mr Johnson could be found to have committed a contempt of Parliament if the committee decides he did knowingly mislead MPs - which could lead to a suspension from the Commons and even a by-election in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat.
The full House of Commons would vote on any recommendations.
Rishi Sunak confirmed today that he will not order MPs to go easy on Mr Johnson if the committee recommends sanctions.
He told BBC Breakfast: "These are matters for Parliament and the House and MPs as individuals, rather than for Government. So that is the general process that we will follow."
The Prime Minister declined to say whether he agreed with some of Mr Johnson's allies that the process was a "witch hunt".
He said: "That's ultimately something for Boris Johnson and he'll have the committee process to go through and that's a matter for Parliament. That's not what I'm focused on."
