Boris Johnson – latest: Former PM accused of breaking yet more rules over Daily Mail job

Boris Johnson has been accused of committing a “clear breach” of the rules for failing to follow protocol ahead of announcing his new columnist role at the Daily Mail.

The former prime minister was confirmed as the newspaper’s new “erudite” columnist on Friday, just days after quitting as an MP. Former ministers who have left the government in the last two years must apply to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) before taking up a new appointment or role outside government.

However, Acoba said Mr Johnson only informed them half an hour before the public announcement.

“An application received 30 mins before an appointment is announced is a clear breach,” a spokesperson said. “We have written to Mr Johnson for an explanation and will publish correspondence in due course, in line with our policy of transparency.”

Mr Johnson’s latest infraction in rules comes after a cross-party committee of MPs found he repeatedly lied to Parliament before being complicit in a campaign of abuse and intimidation.

Key Points

• Johnson committed ‘clear breach’ of rules over Daily Mail job, watchdog says

• Boris Johnson announced as Daily Mail’s ‘erudite’ new columnist

• Sunak still hasn’t read Partygate report

• Boris Johnson supporters vow to target Tory members endorsing report for deselection

• Report in full: Read all 30,000 words of Partygate committee findings

Boris Johnson report in full: Read all 30,000 words of Partygate committee findings

Friday 16 June 2023 07:00 , Joe Middleton

The long-awaited investigation by MPs on the privileges committee into whether Boris Johnson lied to parliament over the Partygate scandal has finally been published.

The findings come more than a year after the inquiry was first commissioned by the former prime minister, in a move which failed to prevent his unceremonious ousting from Downing Street less than three months later, swiftly followed by that of his immediate successor.

Despite Mr Johnson dramatically stepping down as an MP days before the 30,000-word report was published, thereby averting the risk of an embarrasing by-election triggered by its findings, the former PM still saw to it that the document arrived in a haze of controversy.

In full: Read all 30,000 words of the Boris Johnson Partygate inquiry

‘An absolute disgrace'

Friday 16 June 2023 07:26 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

It is an “absolute disgrace” that the Privileges Committee threatened MPs who criticised its report on Boris Johnson, the former chairman of the Conservative Party has said, accusing the panel of seeking to “gag MPs”.

Sir Jake Berry, an ally of the former prime minister, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “For the first time in my parliamentary career, I’m afraid to talk about a report or the findings of a committee of Parliament, because they have threatened MPs that if they do so, they themselves will be subject to the sorts of sanctions.

“It’s an attack on free speech. It’s an absolute disgrace and it rather begs the question that if the committee is so certain and so happy with their findings, why are they trying to stop any debate on this, to gag MPs and prevent them talking about it.”

He said he was “almost certain that Parliament will vote in favour” of the report on Monday, but that he will “certainly be one of those in the no lobby opposing this report, because I think both the conclusions and, to some extent, the way the committee was made up in terms of this report are wrong.”

Telling the truth is a ‘central value of our democratic system'

Friday 16 June 2023 07:53 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Former Chair of the Committee of Standards in Public Life Sir Alistair Graham reiterates the importance of telling the truth being a “central value of our democratic system”.

Watch: Liz Truss believes in former boss’s political comeback

Friday 16 June 2023 08:01 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Former prime minister Liz Truss has said she is sure we “will hear more from” Boris Johnson as she said “never ever ever write Boris off”.

I’m the woman who asked Boris the question that brought him down – I’m still angry and heartbroken

Friday 16 June 2023 08:12 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

When he discovered he was going to face the consequences of his actions, Johnson lashed out. His behaviour fails to uphold the best traditions of our parliament, writes Catherine West.

Those dark days of the pandemic took a huge toll on so many. The loss of loved ones, missing the birth of a child or the funeral of a friend, the unbearable stress placed on key workers, the closed businesses, and health effects that linger for many to this day. Faced with such an unprecedented health emergency the British people did what they had to do – they stayed at home and followed the rules, often at great personal sacrifice.

Not Boris Johnson.

While the country hunkered down for the greater good, it’s now confirmed that he oversaw a Downing Street culture which repeatedly breached the same Covid rules they set. When allegations came to light that there had been parties in Downing Street, I asked the then prime minister, clearly and specifically, if he could tell the House if there had been a party in No 10 on 13 November.

“No, but I am sure that whatever happened the guidance was followed, and the rules were followed at all times.” That’s how the prime minister – from the despatch box, in front of a full House of Commons – answered my clear question.

I’m the woman who asked the question that brought down Boris Johnson | Boris Johnson

Boris ‘deserves further punishment’- Sir Ed Davey

Friday 16 June 2023 08:22 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Boris Johnson “deserves further punishment” following the Privileges Committee report that found he lied to MPs, the leader of the Liberal Democrats has said.

Sir Ed Davey told Sky News: “I think now we look to the Prime Minister to show some leadership. Rishi Sunak has been quite weak on this. He’s kowtowed to his backbenchers and people in the Conservative Party who still won’t face the facts about Boris Johnson, and Rishi Sunak should therefore withdraw this lifetime allowance.

“Boris Johnson will be paid £115,000 a year for the rest of his life to organise his offices. I mean, I just don’t think that sits alongside this report. He deserves further punishment, for sure.”

Sir Ed also said Mr Sunak’s potential absence from the Commons vote on the committee’s findings on Monday “confirms yet again his weakness” and “would be a massive failure if he doesn’t join Parliament in holding the former prime minister Boris Johnson to account”.

Labour launches new attack ad against Sunak

Friday 16 June 2023 08:38 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Labour has launched a new attack ad against the prime minister, claiming that “whatever he pretends now, Rishi Sunak was Boris Johnson’s enabler”.

The party claims Mr Sunak “defended Mr Johnson’s lies and stood by him while he held the British public in contempt”.

The ad features a highlight reel of the prime minister’s public praise for his predecessor, including the claim Mr Johnon is “one of the most remarkable people I have ever met”.

“Britain won’t forget Rishi Sunak’s loyalty to a man who disgraced the office of prime minister,” the ad claims.

It also attacks Mr Sunak as “weak” for failing to scrap Mr Johnson’s resignation honours list, which Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called “honours for Tory cronies”.

The 7 most damning findings from the report into Boris Johnson misleading parliament

Friday 16 June 2023 08:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

A damning report by parliament’s privileges committee has concluded that Boris Johnson misled parliament and recommended that he should be barred from having a parliamentary security pass in future.

The 106 page document, put together by the cross-party group of MPs with a Tory majority, is packed with detail and arguments. Here are the seven most damning sections:

The 7 most damning findings from the report into Boris Johnson misleading parliament

Boris Johnson supporters vow to target Tory members endorsing report for deselection

Friday 16 June 2023 08:55 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Boris Johnson allies have vowed they will target Conservative members who endorse the Privileges Committee’s report for deselection.

Former culture secretary Nadine Dorries was among the first to condemn the report, calling it “quite bizarre”.

She warned that any Tory MPs who endorsed the Privileges Committee’s report on Monday were not “true Conservatives” and would be “held to account by members and the public”.

“Deselections may follow. It’s serious,” she said.

Boris Johnson rumoured to be Daily Mail’s ‘erudite’ new columnist

Friday 16 June 2023 08:58 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Boris Johnson is rumoured to be unveiled as the Daily Mail’s “erudite” new columnist days after quitting as an MP.

The disgraced former prime minister is believed to be the blacked out silhouette on the paper’s front page who will write for it weekly starting tomorrow.

The Mail promises Mr Johnson’s column will be “required reading” in Westminster and around the world. It is paying a “very high six-figure sum”, Politico reported.

It would be a big step up from the former PM’s £275,000 salary as a columnist for the Daily Telegraph.

Mr Johnson is expected to take swipes at his successor Rishi Sunak, with the relationship between the two having descended into open warfare last week.

In a row over the former PM’s resignation honours list, Mr Johnson publicly accused his successor of “talking rubbish”.

Mr Sunak has denied “wielding the dagger” against Mr Johnson with his resignation as chancellor last July, a move which was seen as the beginning of the end of Mr Johnson’s premiership. He resigned just two days later.

Will Boris attend Commons vote on damning report?

Friday 16 June 2023 09:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Boris Johnson will host a foreign leader on Monday, meaning he may be too busy to attend a Commons vote on the report into Boris Johnson’s Partygate lies, the Telegraph reported.

Tory MPs are torn over whether to approve the “damning” Partygate report over the former prime minister’s conduct.

Many cabinet ministers are expected to skip the vote, while No10 has refused to say if Mr Sunak will attend.

Missing the would raise questions about Mr Sunak’s commitment to integrity in public life, while supporting it would risk stoking anger among Boris allies, who have warned those endorsing the report they could face de-selection as Conservative MPs.

Abstaining from Commons vote would not be rising to the occasion, senior Tory MP says

Friday 16 June 2023 09:31 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Senior Conservative MP Damian Green said abstaining from the vote to approve the damning report into Boris Johnson on Monday would not be rising to the occasion.

Asked if Rishi Sunak must take part, the former de facto deputy prime minister told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Every individual will make up their own mind obviously.

“I think personally it’s such an important act that deliberately abstaining is not really rising to the importance of the occasion.”

He said if the Prime Minister does not take part it shows he is “the busiest”, adding: “It’s not for me to tell him how to behave in this sort of situation.”

Mr Green said he intends to vote to approve the report with a “heavy heart”.

Theresa May’s former deputy also said it will be “quite difficult” for Boris Johnson to return as a Tory candidate for the Commons in the future.

He added: “What I feel particularly sad about is the response he has made.

“I think if he had been more temperate in his response it would be easier for him to have a way back into active politics, but he’s chosen to use phrases like ‘kangaroo court’ and ‘witch hunt’ and described the report as ‘deranged’.”

‘An attack on free speech’: MP criticises Johnson allies for threats

Friday 16 June 2023 09:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

It is an “absolute disgrace” that the Privileges Committee threatened MPs who criticised its report on Boris Johnson, the former chairman of the Conservative Party has said, accusing the panel of seeking to “gag MPs”.

Sir Jake Berry, an ally of the former prime minister, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “For the first time in my parliamentary career, I’m afraid to talk about a report or the findings of a committee of Parliament, because they have threatened MPs that if they do so, they themselves will be subject to the sorts of sanctions.

“It’s an attack on free speech. It’s an absolute disgrace and it rather begs the question that if the committee is so certain and so happy with their findings, why are they trying to stop any debate on this, to gag MPs and prevent them talking about it.”

He said he was “almost certain that Parliament will vote in favour” of the report on Monday, but that he will “certainly be one of those in the no lobby opposing this report, because I think both the conclusions and, to some extent, the way the committee was made up in terms of this report are wrong.”

Boris’s historic humiliation: the fatal flaws that made a wannabe Churchill unfit to be PM

Friday 16 June 2023 09:58 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

With a historic majority and the full support of his party, the former PM had all the political momentum in the world. So how did he manage to squander it? Andrew Grice explains

Boris Johnson always wanted to be a history maker. “No one puts up statues to journalists,” he once said. He constantly invited comparisons with Winston Churchill, who led the UK through the Second World War.

When Johnson wrote a book about his hero, The Churchill Factor, it was as much about his own ambition and desire to emulate him. Although Johnson’s finest hour came during the next war on European soil – in the strong, decisive leadership he showed on Ukraine – it was eclipsed by a series of self-inflicted disasters that stemmed from the fatal flaws that made him unfit to be prime minister.

Historic humiliation: the inside story of how Boris blew it | Andrew Grice

Rod Stewart explains why he’s ‘still a fan’ of disgraced Boris Johnson

Friday 16 June 2023 10:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Sir Rod Stewart has explained why he is “still a bit of a fan” of Boris Johnson despite the former prime minister’s very public exposure as a liar.

The “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” singer shared his views on Mr Johnson after a report found that he repeatedly misled Parliament about gatherings in Downing Street during lockdown.

The report concluded that Johnson was “complicit in a campaign of abuse and intimidation” of the privileges committee. He criticised the findings, calling them a “deranged conclusion” and accusing the Tory-majority group of MPs, who he has repeatedly sought to disparage, of lying.

Rod Stewart explains why he’s ‘still a fan’ of disgraced Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson ‘considering running for London mayor’

Friday 16 June 2023 10:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Boris Johnson is said to be considering an audacious independent bid to become London mayor for a second time after his exit from parliament and dramatic fall from grace in the Tory party.

The former prime minister is weighing up his next moves after sealed in a damning report that found he deliberately and repeatedly lied to the Commons over Partygate.

Mr Johnson is thought to have agreed a “high six-figure sum” with the Daily Mail to pen a weekly column, with the newspaper teasing that its “mystery” new writer will be “required reading in Westminster – and across the world!”

And the Financial Times has reported that Mr Johnson could look to get his old job back in City Hall by running as an independent candidate to defeat Labour mayor Sadiq Khan.

Boris Johnson ‘considering running for London mayor’

Johnson Partygate fallout leaves Sunak with a battle to hold Tories together

Friday 16 June 2023 11:14 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The fallout from a scathing report which found Boris Johnson lied to MPs over partygate has left Rishi Sunak with a battle to hold his warring Tory party together.

The Commons will vote on Monday on the Privileges Committee’s report, which recommended that Mr Johnson should have faced a 90-day suspension had he not already resigned in advance of its judgment and be banned from holding a pass to access Parliament.

MPs will be given a free vote, but allies of Mr Johnson warned Tories they could face battles with their local parties to remain as candidates at the next election if they back the motion.

The sanctions proposed by the Tory-majority committee are expected to pass, with only a relatively small group of Johnson loyalists set to oppose the report’s findings, although many more Conservatives could simply not turn up.

Liz Truss, who spent 49 days as prime minister after succeeding Mr Johnson as Tory leader, told GB News that preventing him holding a parliamentary pass would be a “very harsh decision”.

But she is not expected to vote on the report, with a source close to the MP pointing to her speaking at an event in Dublin on Monday morning.

Downing Street is yet to say whether the Prime Minister will vote.

Johnson’s response to report ‘particularly sad'

Friday 16 June 2023 11:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Theresa May’s former deputy PM said it will be “quite difficult” for Boris Johnson to return as a Tory candidate for the Commons in the future.

He added: “What I feel particularly sad about is the response he has made.

“I think if he had been more temperate in his response it would be easier for him to have a way back into active politics, but he’s chosen to use phrases like ‘kangaroo court’ and ‘witch hunt’ and described the report as ‘deranged’.”

Sunak still hasn’t read Partygate report

Friday 16 June 2023 11:48 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rishi Sunak still hasn’t read the privileges committee report on Boris Johnson lying to parliament over Partygate, Downing Street has said.

No 10 refused to say whether Mr Sunak would turn up to vote to approve the report on Monday.

“The prime minister hasn’t had time yet to consider it fully … he does intend to take the time to do that,” said his spokesman.

Pressed for Mr Sunak’s views on Monday’s crunch vote Downing Street, the spokesman said it was “right for MPs to come to a considered view on it”.

Downing Street decline to comment on Boris Johnson columnist rumours

Friday 16 June 2023 12:33 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Downing Street declined to comment on speculation that Boris Johnson is taking a job as a Daily Mail columnist.

Asked whether Rishi Sunak is looking forward to reading his predecessor’s column, a No 10 spokesman said: “That’s not a matter for Government and it’s not a question I’ve asked him specifically.”

UK entered pandemic with ‘depleted’ public services

Friday 16 June 2023 12:58 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The UK entered the coronavirus pandemic with “depleted” public services and widening health inequalities, the Covid inquiry has heard.

A report prepared jointly by professors Sir Michael Marmot, an expert in epidemiology and director of the University College London Institute of Health Equity, and Clare Bambra, an expert in public health from Newcastle University, said Government austerity policies impacted the health of the nation in the lead up to the pandemic.

The report was filed as part of the first week of public hearings in the Covid inquiry, which is exploring the UK’s preparedness for a pandemic.

The “expert opinion” report highlighted health inequalities in the UK, including regional differences when it comes to things such as life expectancy and the number of deaths which can be impacted by the quality of healthcare.

Kate Blackwell KC, counsel to the inquiry, read from the report, which said Government austerity policies after 2010 had “an adverse effect on health inequalities”.

The report concluded: “It is plausible that adverse trends in the social determinants of health since 2010 led to the worsening health picture in the decade before the onset of the pandemic.

“In short, the UK entered the pandemic with its public services depleted, health improvements stalled, health inequalities increased and health among the poorest people in a state of decline.”

Daily Mail confirms Boris Johnson will be new columnist

Friday 16 June 2023 13:12 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Daily Mail has confirmed that Boris Johnson will be its new columnist.

The Daily Mail Online account tweeted: “We are delighted to announce Boris Johnson as our new columnist.

“Famed as one of the wittiest and most original writers in the business, Boris’s column will appear in the Daily Mail every Saturday and you’ll be able to get a preview on MailOnline and The Mail+ on Fridays.”

The former prime minister’s new gig has been announced just days after a damning Partygate report.

Public health spending decreased before pandemic, expert says

Friday 16 June 2023 13:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Sir Michael Marmot, an expert in epidemiology and director of the University College London Institute of Health Equity, told the inquiry that social care and public health spending had gone down before the pandemic, especially in the most deprived parts of the country.

Citing the Government’s own data, he said it showed that the “greater the deprivation, the greater the need, the greater the need, the greater the reduction in local authority spend in general ... That will damage the health of people, other things equal, and will contribute to inequalities in health.”

Sir Michael later said it was his general view “that if you look at the evidence from previous pandemics, including the current one that we’re considering, that the impact of the pandemic is very much influenced by pre-existing inequalities in society, including inequalities in health.”

He said it was not just about “whether there was a report somewhere in government about planning for a pandemic, you’ve got to plan for better health and narrow health inequalities, and that will protect you in the pandemic.”

Police face questions over forensic tent outside Nicola Sturgeon home

Friday 16 June 2023 13:40 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

An SNP MP who previously worked as a police officer has claimed it was highly unusual for a tent to be erected outside Nicola Sturgeon’s home when her husband was arrested as part of a fraud probe into the party’s finances.

Allan Dorans, who spent 15 years in the Metropolitan Police and rose to the level of detective inspector before entering politics, said he “never knew” of any occasions where a structure was assembled outside the home of a suspect accused of fraud.

His comments come just days after James Dornan, an SNP MSP, claimed that there appeared to have been “collusion” between the police and media in an attempt to maximise coverage of the arrest. Party leader Humsa rejected the suggestion.

Police face questions over forensic tent outside Nicola Sturgeon home

By-election dates announced for Boris Johnson and Nigel Adams’ constituencies

Friday 16 June 2023 14:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rishi Sunak will face a test of his leadership in two by-elections on July 20 caused by Boris Johnson and an ally.

The former prime minister quit his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat to avoid the judgment of the privileges committee.

The cross-party panel subsequently recommended he should have faced a 90-day suspension for deliberately misleading MPs over partygate and his conduct in attacking the committee.

Another contest will be held in Selby and Ainsty, triggered by Nigel Adams who quit as a Conservative MP after being denied a peerage in Mr Johnson’s resignation honours list.

By-election dates announced for Boris Johnson and Nigel Adams’ constituencies

Exclusive: Government quietly awards travel firm £1.6bn contract for asylum barges and accommodation

Friday 16 June 2023 14:28 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

An Australian travel firm previously slammed for its handling of Covid quarantine hotels has been quietly handed a £1.6bn contract covering the UK’s new asylum accommodation ships, The Independent can reveal.

Corporate Travel Management (CTM) was put in charge of the lucrative two-year arrangement in February, weeks before the government revealed it would use a barge as its first offshore accommodation for asylum seekers.

The contract was awarded directly to CTM without a competition, and a lawyer with knowledge of the system said the government had pushed a wider deal originally drawn up for official travel “beyond what it was intended to be used for”.

Our home affairs editor Lizzie Dearden reports:

Revealed: Australian firm awarded £1.6bn contract for asylum barges and accommodation

Boris Johnson joins Daily Mail but ‘did not inform watchdog'

Friday 16 June 2023 14:58 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Boris Johnson has confirmed he is joining the Daily Mail as a columnist but could already be in hot water with parliamentary authorities over the job.

The former prime minister - who has vowed to offer uncensored views - could again find himself under scrutiny after Whitehall’s anti-corruption watchdog said he had not applied for clearance.

The chairman of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), Tory peer Lord Eric Pickles, is writing to Mr Johnson about his new role.

The right-leaning outlet confirmed the news on Twitter on Friday, saying it is “delighted” to welcome “one of the wittiest and most original writers in the business”.

In a video shared alongside the announcement, Mr Johnson said he is “thrilled” to contribute to “those illustrious pages”, and promised to deliver “completely unexpurgated stuff”.

Although he quipped he will only cover politics when “I absolutely have to”, the column gives him a powerful platform to take shots at Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with whom he has been publicly clashing.

Mr Johnson’s column will appear in the paper every Saturday.

There has been speculation about whether Mr Johnson would return to his journalism roots after he dramatically quit as an MP last week ahead of a report that found he lied to Parliament with his denials of lockdown rule-breaking in No 10 while prime minister.

Before he became party leader, Mr Johnson received a £275,000 salary to write for the Telegraph, which will likely pale in comparison to the sum he will pocket as a former premier.

But Acoba suggested it was not notified about Mr Johnson’s new role.

Former ministers who have left the Government in the last two years must apply to the independent watchdog before taking up a new appointment or role.

An Acoba spokeswoman told the PA news agency: “We haven’t had an application and we will be writing to Mr Johnson.”

A source close to Mr Johnson insisted he has written to Acoba, but did not say when the letter was sent.

Johnson committed ‘clear breach’ of rules over Daily Mail job, watchdog says

Friday 16 June 2023 15:02 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Boris Johnson committed a “clear breach” of the rules by only informing the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments of becoming a columnist at the Daily Mail half an hour before the public announcement, the watchdog has said.

A spokeswoman for the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) said: “The Ministerial Code states that Ministers must ensure that no new appointments are announced, or taken up, before the Committee has been able to provide its advice.

“An application received 30 mins before an appointment is announced is a clear breach.

“We have written to Mr Johnson for an explanation and will publish correspondence in due course, in line with our policy of transparency.”

If we really want to punish Boris Johnson, let’s kick the greased piglet out of the Tory party

Friday 16 June 2023 15:48 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

If he were still an MP, then there’d certainly be a case for removing the whip from him. But even though he’s skipped that particular pen, he is still snuffling around the sty, Sean O’Grady writes:

If it is right to, in effect, kick Boris Johnson out of parliament for knowingly lying on at least eight separate occasions, why, one may ask, is it alright for him to be a member of the Conservative Party?

If he were still an MP, then there’d certainly be a case for removing the whip from him; and, now that he’s skipped that particular pen, our greased piglet is still snuffling around the sty.

He is, at the time of writing, a member of the Tory party, throwing his weight around, chucking odure at Rishi Sunak, making trouble and getting his snout firmly in the trough to find a perpetual leadership campaign.

But why should any party put up with that sort of behaviour?

It’s time to kick the greased piglet out of the Tory party | Sean O’Grady

Sunak could be spared challenging vote

Friday 16 June 2023 16:15 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Rishi Sunak may be spared a vote that could enflame the row in the Tory party after Boris Johnson called his supporters off from opposing the investigation that found he lied to MPs over partygate.

The Prime Minister was agonising over his response to the damning Privileges Committee report which will be debated in the Commons on Monday as he seeks to unite his fractious Conservatives.

The report recommended that Mr Johnson should have faced a 90-day suspension had he not already resigned in advance of its judgment.

Though he cannot now serve that, the cross-party group of MPs also recommended that he should be banned from holding a pass to access Parliament for a series of offences.

Tory MPs will be given a free vote, but allies of Mr Johnson warned they could face battles with their local parties to remain as candidates at the next election if they back the motion.

However, Mr Johnson was privately urging his supporters not to oppose it, arguing the sanctions have no practical effect. He was aware that he would get his pass back if re-elected as an MP.

If the report is not opposed then it could just be nodded through the Commons, saving Mr Sunak from having to chose between further riling Mr Johnson by backing it, voting against the report and risking public anger, or avoiding the action altogether and facing allegations of being weak.

Labour and other opposition parties could try to force a vote in order to push Tory MPs into putting on record whether they support or oppose the report.

The sanctions proposed by the Tory-majority committee are expected to pass regardless, with only a relatively small group of Johnson loyalists who would oppose the report’s findings.

The five lies that doomed Boris Johnson

Friday 16 June 2023 17:00 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

When the long-awaited report into Boris Johnson’s lockdown lies about Partygate was published on Thursday morning, his resignation as an MP appeared a lot less shocking.

The former prime minister had seen an early copy of the report, which concluded he had lied to MPs on an “unprecedented” scale. Had Mr Johnson stayed on as the MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, he would have faced a 90-day suspension from parliament – more than enough to trigger a tough by-election in the constituency.

The report also recommended Mr Johnson be stripped of a pass for former MPs, effectively barring him from the parliamentary estate.

Below are the five lies that led to Mr Johnson’s downfall:

The five lies that doomed Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson publishes first column with Daily Mail on ‘appetite-suppressing drugs’

Friday 16 June 2023 17:30 , Eleanor Noyce

Boris Johnson has published his first column with the Daily Mail following the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments’ judgment that he committed a “clear breach” of the rules.

The first column, published on Friday afternoon, sees Mr Johnson explore his weight loss journey after he was prescribed “appetite-suppressing drugs.”

Boris Johnson committed a “clear breach” of the rules by only informing the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments of becoming a columnist at the Daily Mail half an hour before the public announcement, the watchdog said on Friday afternoon.

A spokeswoman for the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) said: “The Ministerial Code states that Ministers must ensure that no new appointments are announced, or taken up, before the Committee has been able to provide its advice.

“An application received 30 mins before an appointment is announced is a clear breach.

“We have written to Mr Johnson for an explanation and will publish correspondence in due course, in line with our policy of transparency.”

Nadine Dorries taunts Rishi Sunak as a ‘loser who is going to lose three by-elections’

Friday 16 June 2023 17:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Nadine Dorries launched a scathing attack on Rishi Sunak, branding him a “loser” who is going to lose three key by-elections.

The former culture secretary, who is said she is quitting as a Conservative MP, said the prime minister is “fake”.

And Ms Dorries slammed Mr Sunak as “not a very clever guy”, adding that she is “actually smarter than these guys in No10”.

The Mid Bedfordshire MP said she was quitting “with immediate effect” last Friday after a bust-up with Mr Sunak over Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list.

Archie Mitchell reports:

Nadine Dorries taunts Sunak as a ‘loser who is going to lose three by-elections’

Johnson uses first column to discuss weight-loss drug amid claims of rule breach

Friday 16 June 2023 18:30 , Eleanor Noyce

Boris Johnson has used his first Daily Mail column to detail how a weight-loss drug did not work well for him amid accusations his new journalistic role is a “clear breach” of ministerial rules.

In a 1,200-word article, the former prime minister discusses his unsuccessful personal experience with appetite-suppressants – but reaches the conclusion that they could be used to tackle Britain’s obesity crisis.

The publication came shortly after the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) wrote to him on Friday demanding an explanation in the latest claim that he has broken the standards expected of office.

Sam Blewett reports:

Johnson uses first column to discuss weight-loss drug amid claims of rule breach

‘Toxic culture and ridiculous theatrics’: Inside story of Boris’ No 10 lockdown from whistleblower who saw it all

Friday 16 June 2023 19:15 , Eleanor Noyce

Partygate has proved to be the defining political scandal of the era, bringing down a prime minister and eroding Britons’ trust in government to lead the nation at a time of crisis.

Now, a Downing Street insider has lifted the lid on the epic scale of the rule-breaking, revealing a “toxic” culture which saw senior staff scoff at the idea of following strict Covid guidelines put in place for the rest of us.

The former staff member, who worked at the heart of No 10 throughout the pandemic, told The Independent about the lockdown debauchery and what Boris Johnson really knew about now-notorious revelry.

Former Downing Street official reveals epic scale of rule-breaking during Covid crisis, writes Adam Forrest:

‘Toxic culture’: Inside story of Boris’ No 10 lockdown from whistleblower

Revealed: Full extent of boozing, debauchery and blatant Covid rule-breaking inside Boris’s No 10

Friday 16 June 2023 20:00 , Eleanor Noyce

A former Downing Street official who worked throughout the Covid crisis has revealed the true scale of the drunken debauchery under Boris Johnson – with No 10 parties so wild that staff passed out on the stairway.

Speaking exclusively to The Independent, the whistleblower said the details in the Partygate report were just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the raucous drinking culture and blatant rule-breaking throughout the pandemic.

They revealed that Mr Johnson was “happy” to have his staff drinking and oversaw a culture of endemic rule-breaking so widespread that it put No 10 at odds with the rest of the country.

The No 10 insider’s new revelations add to the damning evidence in the privileges committee’s scathing report into Mr Johnson – found to have deliberately and repeatedly lied to parliament about Partygate.

Political Correspondent Adam Forrest reports:

Revealed: Full extent of boozing, debauchery and rule-breaking inside Boris’s No 10

Johnson privately urges supporters not to vote against finding he misled parliament

Friday 16 June 2023 20:31 , Eleanor Noyce

Boris Johnson has privately urged supporters not to vote against a finding he misled parliament in what had been expected to be a Commons showdown next week.

Monday’s vote had been expected to enflame the row within the party after a cross-party MPs recommended Mr Johnson be suspended from the Commons for 90 days.

Such a vote would have left Tory MPs caught between supporting the outcome of an inquiry they set up and facing the wrath of Boris supporting voters.

One Tory MP told The Independent the move shows: “Boris cares after all”.

Could Boris Johnson really come back as London mayor?

Friday 16 June 2023 20:45 , Eleanor Noyce

Following his shock resignation as an MP, and the devastating report by the Commons Committee of Privileges, speculation about Boris Johnson’s future has been swirling around Westminster and beyond. One of the more intriguing rumours is that Johnson may make some sort of bid for the London mayoralty, a post he held from 2008 to 2016. But is it any more than a pipe dream for the Boris cultists?

A second bid to run the capital feels like a flight of fancy, says Sean O’Grady:

Could Boris Johnson really come back as London mayor?

Boris breaks the rules again with ‘I’m fat’ column as he reveals taking weight loss jabs

Friday 16 June 2023 21:30 , Eleanor Noyce

Boris Johnson has committed another “clear breach” of the rules with a column in which he disclosed he has taken the controversial drug alleged to be behind some celebrities’ dramatic weight loss.

In what will be seen as a thinly veiled attempt to settle old scores, the former prime minister also revealed two senior Tories, including a then cabinet minister, have used the medication.

Just a day after he was found to have repeatedly lied to Parliament, the appointments watchdog said he was in “clear breach” of the ministerial rules.

Kate Devlin reports:

Boris breaks the rules again with ‘I’m fat’ column

Letters to the editor: The British people have had enough and are no longer fooled

Friday 16 June 2023 22:15 , Eleanor Noyce

“Soon MPs will have the opportunity to vote on the report by the Privileges Committee on whether Boris Johnson misled parliament and whether or not he undermined democracy by his subsequent reaction to the sight of the report.

I am already sick of the feeble excuses, the attempts to deflect and the faux outrage of Johnson’s supporters as well as the efforts, on social media, to ignite another pathetic culture war. The British people have had enough of this and are no longer fooled.”

Letters to the editor: our readers share their views. Please send your letters to letters@independent.co.uk.

Letters: The British people have had enough and are no longer fooled

Voices: Boris is off his trolley if he thinks he has a hope in hell of a comeback

Friday 16 June 2023 23:00 , Eleanor Noyce

It was not, as Boris Johnson claimed, a “dreadful day for MPs and for democracy”. It was a good day for both.

The Commons privileges committee’s scathing report on Johnson has reasserted parliament’s right to hold ministers to account, and, crucially, ensure they tell the truth. In future, if they mislead parliament inadvertently, they will feel under pressure to correct the record quickly – something Johnson failed to do, the committee found.

It seems to have surprised the ex-PM that some of his own aides have a conscience, says Andrew Grice:

Badly-burnt Boris hasn’t a hope in hell of a comeback | Andrew Grice

SNP urges Ross to ‘grow a backbone’ over Johnson sanctions

Saturday 17 June 2023 00:01 , Eleanor Noyce

The SNP has urged Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross to “grow a backbone” and whip MPs to vote in favour of sanctions against Boris Johnson.

The former prime minister was found by the Privileges Committee to have knowingly misled Parliament in his denials of partygate, with the panel recommending a 90-day suspension, had he not already stepped down as an MP.

Mr Johnson, the committee said, should also not receive a pass for the Parliamentary estate, as is the usual custom for ex-MPs.

Craig Paton has the full story:

SNP urges Ross to ‘grow a backbone’ over Johnson sanctions

What the whistleblower saw shames No 10

Saturday 17 June 2023 01:00 , Eleanor Noyce

“Boris Johnson and his dwindling band of allies like to claim that the former prime minister has been traduced because he had little inkling of what was going on in Downing Street and, therefore, he could not have been untruthful in his numerous assertions in the Commons that the rules were followed “at all times”.

“Presumably, the same goes for the as-yet unexamined gatherings at Chequers. To the extent the Covid public health precautions weren’t observed (and even Mr Johnson acknowledges there were breaches) no one told him any different – so he says. The impression is given that Downing Street was busy and observing the rules as the norm, and that the various misdemeanours were very much the exception.”

Staff so drunk they slept under their desks and not a mask in sight unless the media were near: the pantomime picture painted by a No 10 insider exclusively to The Independent is very much worse than the one portrayed in the privileges committee report:

Editorial: What the whistleblower saw shames No 10

Voices: If we really want to punish Boris Johnson, let’s kick the greased piglet out of the Tory party

Saturday 17 June 2023 02:00 , Eleanor Noyce

If it is right to, in effect, kick Boris Johnson out of parliament for knowingly lying on at least eight separate occasions, why, one may ask, is it alright for him to be a member of the Conservative Party?

If he were still an MP, then there’d certainly be a case for removing the whip from him; and, now that he’s skipped that particular pen, our greased piglet is still snuffling around the sty.

He is, at the time of writing, a member of the Tory party, throwing his weight around, chucking ordure at Rishi Sunak, making trouble and getting his snout firmly in the trough to find a perpetual leadership campaign.

Sean O’Grady writes:

It’s time to kick the greased piglet out of the Tory party | Sean O’Grady

Sunak could be spared challenging vote after Johnson calls off supporters

Saturday 17 June 2023 03:00 , Eleanor Noyce

Rishi Sunak may be spared a vote that could enflame the row in the Tory party after Boris Johnson called his supporters off from opposing the investigation that found he lied to MPs over partygate.

The Prime Minister was agonising over his response to the damning Privileges Committee report which will be debated in the Commons on Monday as he seeks to unite his fractious Conservatives.

The report recommended that Mr Johnson should have faced a 90-day suspension had he not already resigned in advance of its judgment.

Though he cannot now serve that, the cross-party group of MPs also recommended that he should be banned from holding a pass to access Parliament for a series of offences.

Read the full story:

Sunak could be spared challenging vote after Johnson calls off supporters

Boris and Trump might be gone – but unless we change our politics, we’ll get more malign leaders

Saturday 17 June 2023 04:00 , Eleanor Noyce

It is no more than an accident of timing but the parallels are hard to avoid. Over the past week, two big political figures, one on either side of the Atlantic, have been bitterly denouncing the systems that once enabled their power and now want to eject them.

Both are furious, both are challenging the legitimacy of the processes used to evict them, both are speaking of a “witch hunt”. And in both cases, a political consensus has cheerfully danced on what is hoped will be their political graves.

In the UK, or at least in the so-called Westminster village, there was a palpable sense of vindication after the parliamentary privileges committee published its excoriating verdict on Boris Johnson. The committee found that the then prime minister had not just “deliberately misled the House” multiple times, but had impugned the committee and been “complicit” in its attempted intimidation. How could there be any possible way back for him from this?

Mary Dejevsky writes:

Boris and Trump are out but we’ve not seen the last of malign leaders | Mary Dejevsky

UK was underprepared for pandemic because of focus on Brexit, report finds

Saturday 17 June 2023 05:00 , Adam Withnall

Efforts to improve the UK’s ability to cope with a severe pandemic were paused for the government to focus on planning for the impacts of a no-deal Brexit, a Cabinet Office official has told the Covid inquiry.

Katharine Hammond, former director of the civil contingencies secretariat in the Cabinet Office, accepted that national lockdowns, the lengthy closure of schools and “total economic collapse” were not considered in planning for a pandemic event.

In October 2016, a cross-government exercise carried out to test the UK’s response to a serious influenza pandemic concluded that it was not prepared to “cope with the extreme demands of a severe pandemic”.

Ms Hammond agreed that the assessment “proved to be correct” and told the inquiry that the programme of work generated from the exercise was not completed before Covid-19 hit the UK because “elements” of it were paused to focus on “Operation Yellowhammer”.

“It was the cross-government planning effort for the impacts of a no-deal exit from the European Union,” she explained.

Ms Hammond cited the same operation as a reason for interfering with the work of the Pandemic Flu Readiness Board instituted in 2017 and with updating the Revision To Emergency Preparedness guidance issued in March 2012, which the witness said was not updated between then and 2020.

Questioned on the risk assessment for a pandemic, Ms Hammond conceded that several features of the coronavirus pandemic were not “anticipated or planned for” - including that there was no consideration of full national lockdowns.

She said there was discussion about schools being closed down but only on a “temporary” basis.

Hugo Keith KC, counsel to the inquiry, asked: “Was there any consideration, foresight or planning for total economic collapse, furlough scheme, for national support financially and for the closing of businesses and, in effect, the economy?”

Ms Hammond replied: “All of those things flow from the planning for a lockdown, so the answer follows no.”

She also admitted that risk assessments did not identify the need for personal protective equipment over such a long period of time and in such large quantities and that mass contact tracing, a lack of “antiviral” for coronavirus and the lack of a vaccine was not anticipated or planned for.

Rivka Gottlieb, spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice, said: “The news that the Cabinet Office hadn’t done any preparations for lockdowns prior to the pandemic is absolutely horrific for families like mine.

“The risk of a pandemic was common knowledge but it’s clear that the government was caught completely unprepared.”

PA

Boris breaks the rules again with ‘I’m fat’ column

Saturday 17 June 2023 06:22 , Adam Withnall

Boris Johnson has committed another “clear breach” of the rules with a column in which he disclosed he has taken the controversial drug alleged to be behind some celebrities’ dramatic weight loss.

Kate Devlin has the details here:

Boris breaks the rules again with ‘I’m fat’ column

Revealed: Full extent of boozing, debauchery and blatant Covid rule-breaking inside Boris’s No 10

Saturday 17 June 2023 08:17 , Martha Mchardy

A former Downing Street official who worked throughout the Covid crisis has revealed the true scale of the drunken debauchery under Boris Johnson – with No 10 parties so wild that staff passed out on the stairway.

Speaking exclusively to The Independent, the whistleblower said the details in the Partygate report were just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the raucous drinking culture and blatant rule-breaking throughout the pandemic.

They revealed that Mr Johnson was “happy” to have his staff drinking and oversaw a culture of endemic rule-breaking so widespread that it put No 10 at odds with the rest of the country.

Adam Forrest reports:

Revealed: Full extent of boozing, debauchery and rule-breaking inside Boris’s No 10

Knighthood for official accused of referring Boris Johnson to police

Saturday 17 June 2023 09:00 , Martha Mchardy

The mandarin accused of referring Boris Johnson to police over the latest Partygate allegations has been given a gong.

Alex Chisholm, the permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office, was knighted for public service in the King’s birthday honours list.

The Partygate scandal erupted again last month over fresh concerns that Mr Johnson breached Covid-era lockdown rules.

Kate Devlin reports:

Knighthood for official accused of referring Boris Johnson to police

Boris Johnson ‘considering running for London mayor’

Saturday 17 June 2023 10:00 , Martha Mchardy

Boris Johnson is said to be considering an audacious independent bid to become London mayor for a second time after his exit from parliament and dramatic fall from grace in the Tory party.

The former prime minister is weighing up his next move outside Westminster after his fate was sealed by a damning report that found he deliberately and repeatedly lied to the Commons over Partygate.

Mr Johnson has been revealed as the “erudite” new Saturday columnist at the Daily Mail, offering a veiled warning to Rishi Sunak that he “may have to cover politics from time to time”.

Adam Forrest and Archie Mitchell report:

Boris Johnson ‘considering running for London mayor’

The 7 most damning findings from the report into Boris Johnson misleading parliament

Saturday 17 June 2023 11:00 , Martha Mchardy

A damning report by parliament’s privileges committee has concluded that Boris Johnson misled parliament and recommended that he should be barred from having a parliamentary security pass in future.

The 106 page document, put together by the cross-party group of MPs with a Tory majority, is packed with detail and arguments.

Click here to read about the seven most damning sections:

The 7 most damning findings from the report into Boris Johnson misleading parliament

Revealed: Full extent of boozing, debauchery and blatant Covid rule-breaking inside Boris’s No 10

Saturday 17 June 2023 12:00 , Martha Mchardy

A former Downing Street official who worked throughout the Covid crisis has revealed:

• Boris Johnson was aware of regular drinks parties during lockdown

• The former PM oversaw a “toxic masculine culture” at Downing Street

• No 10 staff were ill “all of the time” but were told “no point” wearing masks

• Staff travelling with Johnson and Priti Patel were told to put on masks while going through train stations in case of cameras

• “Panicking” staff started shredding material and deleting pictures after initial Partygate stories

The five lies that doomed Boris Johnson

Saturday 17 June 2023 13:00 , Martha Mchardy

When the long-awaited report into Boris Johnson’s lockdown lies about Partygate was published on Thursday morning, his resignation as an MP appeared a lot less shocking.

The former prime minister had seen an early copy of the report, which concluded he had lied to MPs on an “unprecedented” scale. Had Mr Johnson stayed on as the MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, he would have faced a 90-day suspension from parliament – more than enough to trigger a tough by-election in the constituency.

The report also recommended Mr Johnson be stripped of a pass for former MPs, effectively barring him from the parliamentary estate.

Boris backers quickly rounded on the committee, blasting the “harshness” of the findings, while Mr Johnson himself blasted what he called the “deranged conclusion”.

But, while just one instance of misleading the house would have been enough to land Mr Johnson a sanction, the committee concluded he had done so on five separate occasions.

Below are the five lies that led to Mr Johnson’s downfall.

1. Insistent PM says ‘all guidance was followed

2. PM denies party took place in Downing Street

3. Johnson hits back at Starmer’s ‘lying’ accusations

4. PM ‘corrects the record’

5. Johnson was ‘disingenuous’ with MPs

Archie Mitchell reports:

The five lies that doomed Boris Johnson

Voices: If we really want to punish Boris Johnson, let’s kick the greased piglet out of the Tory party

Saturday 17 June 2023 14:00 , Martha Mchardy

If it is right to, in effect, kick Boris Johnson out of parliament for knowingly lying on at least eight separate occasions, why, one may ask, is it alright for him to be a member of the Conservative Party?

If he were still an MP, then there’d certainly be a case for removing the whip from him; and, now that he’s skipped that particular pen, our greased piglet is still snuffling around the sty.

He is, at the time of writing, a member of the Tory party, throwing his weight around, chucking ordure at Rishi Sunak, making trouble and getting his snout firmly in the trough to find a perpetual leadership campaign.

Sean O’Grady writes:

It’s time to kick the greased piglet out of the Tory party | Sean O’Grady

Saturday 17 June 2023 15:52 , Sam Rkaina

We’re pausing our live coverage of Boris Johnson’s Partygate scandal but keep checking independent.co.uk for the latest updates.