Boris Johnson was summoned to defend himself in the week of March 20 against allegations of deceiving parliament and withholding information. A parliamentary committee of inquiry released the preliminary conclusions of a report on Friday and says it has evidence against the former British prime minister.
These are Johnson’s statements on the ‘partygate’ scandal over a series of parties at the Prime Minister’s official residence during the coronavirus lockdowns. When this came to light, Johnson first denied that the rules had been broken and then that he was aware of them. Friday’s report said it must have been “abundantly obvious” to him that the rules had been broken, even though he himself was not present.
No proof
Johnson sees no evidence in the report that he deliberately misled parliament and sees the result as an exoneration of blame. The commission of inquiry says the investigation was delayed because the Johnson government was reluctant to give evidence, which it eventually got its hands on under Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Partygate continues to cling to the former prime minister, although he stepped down as party leader and then prime minister in July. He had previously been fined after a police investigation because he was present at one of the parties. In doing so, Johnson became the first sitting British prime minister to break the law. Senior official Sue Gray also investigated the scandal at Johnson’s request. Her harsh criticism was a major factor in Johnson’s political downfall.
Objectivity
Gray herself came under fire on Thursday as it was announced she will work as chief of staff to Labor leader Keir Starmer. Now working for the opposition, Johnson questions the objectivity of his entire investigation and, indirectly, that of the parliamentary committee, which is presumably based on Gray’s findings. The commission of inquiry says it has nothing to do with Gray.
Source: BNR
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