Boris Johnson report latest news: Lies laid bare as damning Partygate verdict published

The long-awaited Partygate report into Boris Johnson has been released.

It comes after the former Prime Minister launched a "last-ditch attempt" to scupper the long-awaited Partygate report, calling on senior Tory MP Sir Bernard Jenkin to resign from the privileges committee for himself breaching the lockdown rules.

Mr Johnson called on Sir Bernard to “explain his actions" after the pro-Johnson website Guido Fawkes claimed he had also broken lockdown rules by attending a drinks reception for his wife’s birthday in December 2020.

In a statement, Mr Johnson said: “Bernard Jenkin has just voted to expel me from parliament for allegedly trying to conceal from parliament my knowledge of illicit events.

“Now it turns out he may have for the whole time known that he himself attended an event – and concealed this from the privileges committee and the whole House for the last year."

A source close to the committee said it was “desperate stuff” from the Boris camp, and noted that the committee was ruling on Mr Johnson’s claims in the Commons rather than the gatherings themselves.

The attempt to undermine the report due on Thursday came after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused Rishi Sunak of being “too weak” to block his predecessor’s resignation.

Key Points

• Long awaited Partygate report published

• Johnson committed ‘repeated contempts’ of parliament

Sunak must give MPs a vote on report findings - Labour

11:36 , Matt Mathers

Labour urged Rishi Sunak to hold a vote to approve the Privilege Committee report finding Boris Johnson is a “lawbreaker and a liar”, as well as its sanctions.

Previous reports have suggested Mr Sunak would allow MPs a free vote on the report findings.

Shadow Commons leader Thangam Debbonaire said: “The evidence in this report is damning and the conclusions the committee came to are clear: Boris Johnson is a lawbreaker and a liar.

“Rishi Sunak must now confirm the Government will follow precedent and give the House the opportunity to approve the report and endorse the sanctions in full.

“This report makes it even more inconceivable that the Prime Minister approved Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list just a week ago as part of some sort of grubby deal, rather than waiting for this report and saying ‘no’ to his former boss.”

Committee has come under ‘constant intimidation’ from Johnson

11:32 , Matt Mathers

The privileges committee has come under “constant intimidation” from Boris Johnson, Labour has said.

Shadow Commons leader Thangam Debbonaire also described the former PM’s behaviour as “shocking but not surprising”.

She said: "I thank the committee members for the thoughtful and considered work that they’ve carried out over a year under constant intimidation from the former Prime Minister and his friends.

“They did as we asked - diligently - and we should be grateful. I am disappointed to hear that the attacks on them - a committee with a conservative majority, a cross-party committee, properly constituted - those attacks continue today led by Mr Johnson.

“His behaviour is shocking but not surprising. I was Shadow Leader of the house two years ago when he tried to rip up the rules to save his friend Patterson. Hundreds of Tory MPs voted with him - I’m afraid to say including the current Leader of the House."

‘Wine time Fridays’ took place on a weekly basis - Downing Street official

11:27 , Matt Mathers

Wine-drinking gatherings took place in Downing Street on a “weekly basis” during the Covid pandemic, an unnamed Downing Street official said in written evidence to the committee.

The official said No 10 was “slow” to enforce “any rules” in the building.

The official said:  “No. 10, despite setting the rules to the country, was slow to enforce any rules in the building.

“The press office Wine Time Fridays continued throughout, social distancing was not enforced […]

“This was all part of a wider culture of not adhering to any rules. No 10 was like an island oasis of normality”.112 105. Mr Johnson also, of course, had personal knowledge of the gatherings”.

‘Law-breaker and liar’ Johnson should apologise to public - Rayner

11:18 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson is "not only a law-breaker but a liar" and should apologise to the British public, Angela Rayner has said in response to the Privileges Committee report.

Labour’s deputy leader told broadcasters: "I think that Privileges Committee is pretty damning.

"You know, it’s serious.

"Boris Johnson is not only a law-breaker but a liar.

"He’s not fit for public office and he’s disgraced himself and continues to act like a pound-shop Trump in the way in which he tries to discredit anybody who criticises his actions when actually, a decent public servant would have done the honourable thing, would have had a little bit of humility and would have apologised to the British public for what they put them through."

She added: "He should apologise to British people."

Fabricant defends Johnson loyalists

11:15 , Matt Mathers

Conservative MP Michael Fabricant has defended critics of the Privileges Committee, saying its members are "normal MPs" and not "a court of cardinals".

Sir Michael, who was given a knighthood by Boris Johnson, told BBC News on Thursday: "What I am concerned about is that a number of people have criticised others who have impugned the nature of the Privileges Committee, and what I do want to say was that I was there when Boris Johnson gave evidence to the committee.

"Now that committee stands in a quasi-judicial role, like a court of justice. And when Boris Johnson was answering questions, I could see members of the committee - not all of them, some of them behaved with great dignity as jurors would do in a court - but some of them were pulling faces, looking skywards, turning their backs on Boris Johnson.

"Justice doesn’t just have to be done, it has to be seen to be done. And you know, the Privileges Committee are normal MPs - or some of them may be abnormal MPs - but they’re not a court of cardinals.

"To sort of say, ‘well to impugn the integrity of the committee is some terrible thing’, as if you’re becoming a heretic in the days of Roman Catholicism in the 15th century, I think is just a little bit naive."

Commons to debate report findings on Monday

11:11 , Matt Mathers

MPs will debate the committee’s findings on Monday, it has been announced.

Speaking in the chamber, Commons leader Penny Mordaunt confirmed the timings after Boris Johnson was found guilty of multiple contempts of parliament.

Following the debate, MPs will vote on the committee’s findings, which would have suspended Mr Johnson for ninety days had he still been an MP.

‘Inconceivable’ that Sunak approved Johnson’s resignation honours list - Labour

10:53 , Matt Mathers

Labour said the Privileges Committee report on Boris Johnson is “damning” and condemned Rishi Sunak as “weak” for not standing up to his predecessor.

Shadow leader of the House of Commons Thangam Debbonaire said the findings make it “even more inconceivable” that Mr Sunak approved Mr Johnson’s resignation honours list last week.

She said: “The evidence in this report is damning and the conclusions the committee came to are clear. Boris Johnson is a lawbreaker and a liar. Rishi Sunak must now confirm the government will follow precedent and give the House the opportunity to approve the report and endorse the sanctions in full.

“Rishi Sunak’s weakness means he has never stood up to Boris Johnson. This report makes it even more inconceivable that the Prime Minister approved Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list just a week ago, as part of some sort of grubby deal rather than waiting for this report and saying ‘no’ to his former boss.

“Rishi Sunak is so out of touch he thought it was right that taxpayers’ hard-earned money fund Boris Johnson’s ongoing lies to the public. Given the findings of the committee, Rishi Sunak should demand Boris Johnson pays back every penny.

“While Rishi Sunak is distracted with the ongoing Tory soap opera people are crying out for leadership on the issues that matter to them.”

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

10:50 , Matt Mathers

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. Jon Stone reports:

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

Watch: Lord Heseltine slams Boris Johnson's 'pack of lies' as report finds ex-PM misled Parliament

10:48 , Matt Mathers

Now we know why Boris jumped. He was pushed

10:47 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson has plunged, in semi-tragic Shakespearean fashion, from being his party’s greatest asset to its most gruesome liability. he lied and he lied again, writes Sean O’Grady.

Read Sean’s full analysis here:

Now we know why Boris jumped. He was pushed

Report lays bare Johnson’s contempt for MPs

10:46 , Matt Mathers

The report laid bare Mr Johnson’s growing contempt for MPs on the committee and its probe into his conduct, Archie Mitchell reports:

In a letter sent to MPs on the Privileges Committee in March, after his televised evidence session before members, Mr Johnson said he wanted to be "emphatic" about his support for the inquiry.

"I have the utmost respect for the integrity of the Committee and all its Members and the work that it is doing," Mr Johnson said in the letter on March 30.

Just months later, responding to the report’s publication on Thursday, Mr Johnson described its conclusions as "deranged".

He said the finding that he had deliberately misled MPs was "a lie" and that the committee’s approach had been "anti-democratic", "beneath contempt" and "the final knife-thrust" in his "protracted political assassination".

Nadine Dorries threatens Tory MPs who back damning report that they face losing their seats

10:36 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson ultra-loyalist Nadine Dorries has threatened Conservative MPs who vote for the committee’s findings with deselection from their seats.

She also accused the committee of “overreach” and lashed out at its members, who she claimed were biased against  Mr Johnson.

She said: “This report has overreached and revealed it’s true pre determined intentions. It’s quite bizarre. Harman declared her position before it began. Jenkins, the most senior MP on committee attended an ACTUAL party.

"Any Conservative MP who would vote for this report is fundamentally not a Conservative and will be held to account by  members and the public. Deselections may follow. It’s serious.

"MPs will now have to show this committee what real justice looks like and how it’s done."

Kate Devlin has the full report:

Nadine Dorries in sinister warning to Tory MPs as Boris allies hit back

Johnson should be banned from public office for life - Covid-19 Bereaved Families

10:27 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson "should never be allowed to stand for any form of public office again", a campaign group representing families bereaved in the pandemic has said, following the publication of the Privileges Committee report.

David Garfinkel, spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, said: "This is another grim reminder that whilst families like mine were saying goodbye to our loved ones over Zoom, the same prime minister that failed us so badly in the first place was breaking his own rules so he could have a party and a laugh.

"Johnson has shown no remorse. Instead he lied to our faces when he told us that he’d done ‘all he could’ to protect our loved ones.

"He lied again when he said the rules hadn’t been broken in Number 10, and he’s lied ever since when he’s denied it again and again.

"It’s an utter tragedy that Johnson was in charge when the pandemic struck and he should never be allowed to stand for any form of public office again.

"His fall from grace must serve as a lesson to other politicians to act with honesty and to serve the public as a whole - that is the only positive that can come from this."

Johnson is a ‘liar and law-breaker’ - Davey

10:25 , Matt Mathers

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey described Boris Johnson as "a liar and law-breaker" in a tweet.

"He’s treated the public with utter disdain," Sir Ed posted.]

"And while these Conservatives fight among themselves again, the country suffers.

"People are fed up. Rishi Sunak should call a General Election and give people the chance to end this charade."

Johnson allies launch fightback against ‘appalling’ and ‘absurd' report findings

10:18 , Matt Mathers

A fightback among Boris backers has begun, with Tory MP Brendan Clarke-Smith branding the report’s findings "appalling" and vowing to speak against them "publicly and in the House on Monday", Archie Mitchell reports.

"I’m backing fairness and justice - not kangaroo courts," the Bassetlaw MP said on Twitter, alongside an "I’m backing Boris" graphic.

He said: "I am appalled at what I have read and the spiteful, vindictive and overreaching conclusions of the report. I won’t be supporting the recommendations and will be speaking against them both publicly and in the House on Monday."

Former Tory minister Esther McVey said it was "absurd and utterly unnecessary" to deny Mr Johnson a former MPs Parliamentary pass.

Ms McVey said on Twitter: "Demands calling for Boris to be denied a former MPs pass to parliament are absolutely absurd & utterly unnecessary."

Two MPs recommended Johnson be expelled from parliament completely

10:15 , Matt Mathers

Two MPs on the committee sought to recommend Mr Johnson be expelled from parliament completely, Archie Mitchell reports.

SNP member Allan Dorans tabled an amendment to the report on Tuesday afternoon recommending Mr Johnson be "expelled from the House".

He and Labour’s Yvonne Fovargue backed the proposal, but it was rejected by a majority of four to two.

In the end, the Privileges Committee recommended a 90-day suspension from Parliament for the former prime minister, which would have been more than enough to trigger a by-election in Mr Johnson’s seat had he not resigned last week.

Every misleading statement Boris Johnson has made to parliament since the general election

10:10 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson and his ministers have made at least 27 false statements to parliament since the 2019 general election – and have failed to correct them.

An investigation by The Independent, working with Full Fact, has found that the prime minister made 17 of the statements, while four were made by Matt Hancock as health secretary, two by home secretary Priti Patel, and one each by attorney general Suella Braverman, culture secretary Nadine Dorries, Afghan resettlement minister Victoria Atkins, and Jacob Rees-Mogg, leader of the House of Commons.

Here are some of the other occasions when Mr Johnson is accused of misleading the Commons. Lizzie Dearden reports:

Revealed: Every false statement Boris Johnson has made since the election

Johnson unable to justify attendance of wife and interior designer at work meeting

10:09 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson was unable to explain why he considered his wife Carrie and interior designer Lulu Lytle “absolutely necessary participants” in a work-related meeting, the report found. Archie Mitchell reports:

The pair were at a celebration in the Cabinet Room to commemorate Mr Johnson’s birthday in June 2020 - the event for which he and Mr Sunak received fixed penalty notices.

“A cake and alcohol were provided,” the report said, adding that it was “not socially distanced”.

The Privileges Committee concluded: “Mr Johnson did not explain why he believed the event was ‘reasonably necessary for work purposes’ other than to say that it took place immediately before a work meeting, and that ‘it seemed to me […] perfectly proper’ for officials to be ‘asked to come and wish me a happy birthday’ which we do not regard as convincing.

“Mr Johnson was also unable to explain why he considered his wife and interior designer ‘absolutely necessary participants’ in a work-related meeting.”

Johnson knew he was breaking rules - committee

10:01 , Matt Mathers

The report says Mr Johnson should have known he was breaking Covid rules, Kate Devlin reports.

It finds: "A workplace ‘thank you’, leaving drink, birthday celebration or motivational event is obviously neither essential or reasonably necessary".

It goes on: “Mr Johnson is adamant that he believed all of the events which he attended and of which he had direct knowledge were essential.

“That belief, which he continues to assert, has no reasonable basis in the Rules or on the facts. A reasonable person looking at the events and the Rules would not have the belief that Mr Johnson has professed."

16 events took place at No 10 and Chequers

09:59 , Sam Rkaina

Some 16 potentially Covid rule-breaking events took place at No 10 and Chequers, Boris Johnson told the committee in a statement of truth, Kate Devlin reports.

The committee says he has given them a "statement of truth" explaining 16 more events at No 10 and Chequers, his country retreat.

The committee said that it had accepted his explanations at face value, because they did not want to delay the report’s findings.

But they warn "If for any reasons it subsequently emerges that Mr Johnson’s explanations are not true, then he may have committed a further contempt.

Boris accuses Partygate probe of lying about him

09:54 , Sam Rkaina

In a statement Mr Johnson said: “The committee now says that I deliberately misled the House, and at the moment I spoke I was consciously concealing from the House my knowledge of illicit events. This is rubbish. It is a lie.”

Mr Johnson also attacked what he said was a “deranged conclusion” , accusing the Tory-majority group of MPs he has repeatedly sought to disparage of lying.

He called the committee led by Labour veteran Harriet Harman “beneath contempt” and claimed its 14-month investigation had delivered “what is intended to be the final knife-thrust in a protracted political assassination”.

Johnson’s ‘deliberate lies’ could not be ‘brushed under the carpet’ - Grieve

09:52 , Matt Mathers

Former attorney general Dominic Grieve said Mr Johnson’s “deliberate lies” could not be “brushed under the carpet”, Archie Mitchell reports.

“Ministers are supposed to give honest accounts to the House of Commons on facts, and he did not do it,” Mr Grieve said.

He lashed out at Mr Johnson’s attacks on the committee, branding it “the only mechanism by which the House of Commons can protect its privileges and enforce the standards it expects from MPs towards them.”

Mr Grieve told Sky News: “Mr Johnson thinks this is something he can criticise, there is not a shred of evidence this committee has acted in a deliberately biassed fashion against him.”

And Mr Grieve added: “It is completely unprecedented, but Mr Johnson is a completely unprecedented figure. We know he is a man who is a serial liar.

“He lies not only to protect himself, but to smear other people, I have watched it during the course of his career.

“Seeing that he did it so routinely and regularly in other settings, it doesn’t really come as a surprise that he lied through his back teeth about the circumstances relating to breaches of the rules in 10 Downing Street.”

Commons could consider report on Boris Johnson’s birthday

09:49 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson could receive an unwelcome birthday present next week.

The committee will now submit its findings to parliament for a vote, possibly on Monday - the same day as the ex-PM’s birthday.

What a way to go

09:43 , Matt Mathers

Our chief political commentator John Rentoul gives his snap analysis:

Now we can see why Boris Johnson decided to resign rather than to face the voters of Uxbridge: the findings of the Committee of Privileges, unanimously agreed and therefore signed off by all four Conservative MPs who hold the majority on that committee, are brutal.

Never mind the speculation beforehand that the committee might conclude that the former prime minister had been reckless as to the truth of what he said in parliament about lockdown gatherings in Downing Street – the committee has gone full out, finding that Johnson “deliberately misled” the House of Commons about what he knew.

The committee sweeps aside Johnson’s semi-philosophical defence, that it could not see into his mind at the time he said there were no parties and that the rules had been followed at all times: “The committee is entitled to conclude on all the evidence that Mr Johnson did not honestly believe what he said he believed or that he deliberately closed his mind to the obvious or to his own knowledge.”

And when Johnson refused to accept the committee’s findings with good grace, submitting an argumentative letter at three minutes to midnight on Monday, the committee met again and rewrote the end of the report, escalating the dispute. If Johnson hadn’t resigned, the committee would have recommended suspension for 90 days – instead of the 10 needed to open the way for a by-election in Uxbridge. But the only thing it can do is recommend that he be denied a Palace of Westminster pass as a former MP. What a way for a prime minister to end their career.

Johnson misled the Commons 5 times

09:42 , Sam Rkaina

The committee says Boris Johnson is guilty of "repeated contempts" of parliament across five different areas, Jon Stone reports.

In its report, the committee said the former prime minister had misled the Commons by:

• Claiming Covid rules and guidance were followed at all times in Number 10 on four separate occasions

• Failing to tell the House “about his own knowledge of the gatherings where the rules or guidance had been broken”

• Saying he relied on “repeated reassurances” that rules had not been broken

• Insisting on waiting for Sue Gray’s report to be published before he could answer questions in the House, when he had “personal knowledge which he did not reveal”

• By claiming that rules and guidance had been followed while he was present at gatherings in Number 10 when he “purported to correct the record” in May 2022.

The committee also found Mr Johnson had been “disingenuous” when giving evidence to them in six “ways which amount to misleading”.

‘Cynical attempt to manipulate public opinion'

09:40 , Matt Mathers

The committee accused Boris Johnson of a “cynical attempt to manipulate public opinion” after his televised appearance before members in March, Archie Mitchell reports.

In its report, it said the former PM had accused members of “suppressing evidence which would be helpful to him”. After gathering the evidence Mr Johnson was referring to, he ended up “placing no reliance on it”.

“The clear implication is that there was nothing in the evidence and his criticism in public was a cynical attempt to manipulate Member and public opinion,” the report concluded.

Cut off Johnson’s PM allowance, Lib Dems urge Sunak

09:38 , Matt Mathers

The Liberal Democrats called for Rishi Sunak to cut off Mr Johnson’s allowance as a former prime minister, Archie Mitchell reports.

He is entitled to claim up to £115,000 a year to fund office costs for life, but the party said Mr Johnson continuing to take the money would be “an insult to bereaved families who suffered while he lied and partied”.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “This damning report should be the final nail in the coffin for Boris Johnson’s political career. It is completely unprecedented for a former Prime Minister to be found to have been a law-breaker and serial liar, who treated the public and Parliament with total disdain.

“The Conservatives are so mired in sleaze and chaos that they are totally failing to tackle the problems facing the country, from the NHS crisis to the cost of living. Voters in Mid Bedfordshire will soon get a chance to send a message to this failing and out-of-touch Conservative government.”

Johnson suspension would have been longer than Truss’s premiership

09:36 , Matt Mathers

Had he stayed an MP Boris Johnson faced being suspended from parliament for almost twice as long as Liz Truss was prime minister, Kate Devlin report.

A scathing report into Partygate recommends a 90 day suspension.

His successor as prime minister, Ms Truss, was in Downing Street for just 49.

No.10 pandemic garden party was social gathering

09:34 , Matt Mathers

A gathering held in the garden of Downing Street and attended by Boris Johnson during Covid was “social”, the committee found - Jon Stone reports.

The committee report said:

“The social nature of the gathering was indicated by the high number of people invited, with some attendees from outside No. 10 as well as Mr Johnson’s wife (who we consider it is obvious cannot be described as an “absolutely necessary participant”), and the installation in the garden of trestle tables with alcohol available.

Johnson accused of ‘attacking our democratic instiutions’

09:31 , Matt Mathers

The Privileges Committee accused the former prime minister of “attacking our democratic institutions” after branding its probe a “kangaroo court”, Archie Mitchell reports.

Its report stated: “Mr Johnson does not merely criticise the fairness of the Committee’s procedures; he also attacks in very strong, indeed vitriolic, terms the integrity, honesty and honour of its members.

“He stated that the Committee had ‘forced him out […] anti-democratically’.

“This attack on a committee carrying out its remit from the democratically elected House itself amounts to an attack on our democratic institutions. We consider that these statements are completely unacceptable.”

Who was on the privileges committee?

09:27 , Matt Mathers

The privileges committee has found Boris Johnson guilty of deliberately misleading the Commmons over the Partygate scandal.

It also concluded that he had committed multiple contempts of parliament after criticising the committee, having described it as a “kangaroo court.”

Here is a full list of all the MPs who sat on the committee:

Andy Carter MP - Conservative MP for Warrington South

Alberto Costa MP - Conservative MP for South Leicestershire

Allan Dorans MP -Scottish National Party MP for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock

Yvonne Fovargue MP -Labour MP for Makerfield

Rt Hon Harriet Harman KC MP - Labour MP for Camberwell and Peckham

Sir Bernard Jenkin MP - Conservative MP for Harwich and North Essex

Sir Charles Walker MP - Conservative MP for Broxbourne

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

09:23 , Matt Mathers

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.

Read the full report here:

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

Committee explains why it found Johnson guilty of “multiple” contempts of parliament

09:21 , Sam Rkaina

Here, the committee explains why it found Johnson guilty of “multiple” contempts of parliament.

“We note that Mr Johnson at no point denounced this campaign while it was under way. Giving oral evidence, he expressed respect for the Committee and said, when pressed to do so, that he deprecated terms such as “witch hunt” and “kangaroo court”, but said “the people will judge for themselves” whether the Committee had been fair. Asked in relation to the Committee’s inquiry, “you would not characterise it as a witch hunt or a kangaroo court?”, he replied “I will wait to see how you proceed with the evidence that you have”.

Despite a later communication expressing confidence in the Committee (see paragraph 223 below), he intimated that he would only accept the Committee’s conclusions if they were favourable to him, which indeed is demonstrated by his abusive reaction to our warning letter, which we discuss further below.

“Refusing to answer legitimate questions is contempt of parliament

There is no basis for any fear that the requirement to be truthful with the House has a “chilling” effect on the ability of Ministers to be candid with the House.

The House will also be understanding if a Minister declines to answer, for example, on matters which relate to national security or market sensitivity.

But misleading intentionally or recklessly, refusing to answer legitimate questions, or failing to correct misleading statements, impedes or frustrates the functioning of the House and is a contempt.”

Privileges Committee suggests Johnson should be barred from having parliamentary pass

09:18 , Sam Rkaina

The Privileges Committee suggested Boris Johnson should be barred from having a parliamentary pass, which is normally available to former MPs.

The committee said its provisional findings were that Mr Johnson deliberately misled the House and should be suspended for a period longer than 10 sitting days.

But following his resignation statement and criticism of the committee, the MPs said that “if Mr Johnson were still a Member he should be suspended from the service of the House for 90 days for repeated contempts and for seeking to undermine the parliamentary process”.

The committee said these included: Deliberately misleading the House, deliberately misleading the committee, breaching confidence, “impugning the committee and thereby undermining the democratic process of the House” and “being complicit in the campaign of abuse and attempted intimidation of the committee”.

“We recommend that he should not be entitled to a former Member’s pass,” the MPs said.

Johnson accuses committee of lying

09:17 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson accused the Privileges Committee of lying about him in the report.

In a statement responding to the findings, Mr Johnson said: "The committee now says that I deliberately misled the House, and at the moment I spoke I was consciously concealing from the House my knowledge of illicit events.

“This is rubbish. It is a lie.

“When on Dec 1 2021 I told the House of Commons that ‘the guidance was followed completely’ (in Number 10) I meant it.”

Johnson committed ‘repeated contempts’ of parliament

09:16 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson committed a second contempt of parliament by criticising the committee that found him guilty of lying to MPs over Partygate.

The Privileges Committee said Mr Johnson committed a "serious contempt of the House" through his partygate denials.

It said in the report: "We came to the view that some of Mr Johnson’s denials and explanations were so disingenuous that they were by their very nature deliberate attempts to mislead the committee and the House, while others demonstrated deliberation because of the frequency with which he closed his mind to the truth."

It found he also breached confidentiality requirements in his resignation statement by criticising the committee’s provisional findings.

"Mr Johnson’s conduct in making this statement is in itself a very serious contempt," the report said.

No precedent for a PM to deliberately mislead Commons

09:11 , Matt Mathers

The report concluded:

“We have concluded above that in deliberately misleading the House Mr Johnson committed a serious contempt.

The contempt was all the more serious because it was committed by the Prime Minister, the most senior member of the government. There is no precedent for a Prime Minister having been found to have deliberately misled the House.

He misled the House on an issue of the greatest importance to the House and to the public, and did so repeatedly. He declined our invitation to reconsider his assertions that what he said to the House was truthful.

His defence to the allegation that he misled was an ex post facto justification and no more than an artifice. He misled the Committee in the presentation of his evidence”

Johnson would have faced 90-day suspension

09:09 , Matt Mathers

Former prime minister Boris Johnson would have faced a recommended suspension of 90 days from the Commons for deliberately misleading MPs and "being complicit in the campaign of abuse and attempted intimidation" of the Privileges Committee, had he not quit his seat in protest.

Report published

09:05 , Matt Mathers

The privileges committee has published its report into whether Boris Johnson misled the Commons over Partygate.

The committee found that Mr Johnson misled the Commons when he told MPs that all rules were followed in Downing Street during lockdown.

We’ll bring you more updates from the published report shortly.

Adam Forrest has the full story:

Boris Johnson banned from parliament for ‘unprecedented’ lies, rules committee

Privileges report ‘feels like’ end of a chapter - senior Tory MP

09:03 , Matt Mathers

Sir Robert Buckland said the publication of the Privileges Committee’s report "feels like" the end of a chapter, Archie Mitchell reports.

The former justice secretary said today "is an important moment", and he hoped "we can all move on" when the report has been voted on by Parliament.

Sir Robert told Sky News Boris Johnson "agreed to the process" of the investigation and "presumably knew what the consequences might be". And, hitting back at the former PM branding the report a "hit job", Sir Robert added: "If we start undermining the process.

What’s the consequence? The consequence will be that Parliament once again will be found not fit to govern its own affairs.

"Whatever the findings of the report, we should stick to those findings and support them in the wholeness or reject them."

He said it "would not be right" for MPs to amend the report

Boris Johnson should ‘take some responsibility’ for Partygate - Labour MP

08:41 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson should “take some responsibility” for his behaviour during Partygate, a senior Labour MP has said.

James Murray,  shadow financial secretary to the Treasury, described the row over the privileges committee and Mr Johnson’s controversial resignation honours list as a “never-ending Tory soap opera”.

More comments from Mr Murray below:

Johnson dodges questions from reporters

08:33 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson this morning dodged questions from reporters on the privileges committee report due to be published shortly.

Out for an early morning jog, the former prime minister waved when asked if it was “the end” for him and whether he had “run out of road” as a politician.

Watch part of the exchange below:

Written statements today

08:22 , Matt Mathers

Here are the written ministerial statements due to be made in the Commons on Thursday:

• Secretary of State for Health and Social Care: Prescription charge upper age exemption consultation outcome; The Government’s mandate to NHS England

• Secretary of State for the Home Department: Government Response to the report of the Daniel Morgan Independent Panel

• Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities; Local Government Update

AI will ‘change everything’ - Blair

08:14 , Matt Mathers

Artificial intelligence will “change everything” and a complete restructuring of government is needed to regulate and harness the technology, Tony Blair has said.

The former prime minister and Labour leader AI would have a far greater impact on society than social media and will alter the way “we live and think”.

Speaking to Times Radio, Mr Blair said his biggest concern was that, as a country, the UK does not get to grips with the challenges presented by AI.

Johnson ‘abandoned’ avenues to question committee findings - Ellwood

08:10 , Matt Mathers

Senior Tory MP Tobias Ellwood said it seems unlikely Boris Johnson will "win the argument" by saying "late in the day" that he is unhappy with one of the individuals on the Privileges Committee.

Asked about an allegation regarding Sir Bernard Jenkin, one of the MPs investigating whether Mr Johnson deliberately lied to parliament, Mr Ellwood told Sky News: "If Boris Johnson is unhappy with the committee’s findings, or indeed anybody on the committee, the personalities and so forth, he could easily have made a personal statement in the Commons - that’s the process - and presented his arguments prior to a full vote from the House, because it will be for the House to determine whether they support this publication or not.

"He’s chosen to abandon all those possible avenues of approach and quit parliament in its entirety.

"Now coming late in the day and saying ‘I’m unhappy with this individual’, this isn’t the process of somebody I believe is going to win the argument."

Tory faithful no longer see Johnson as saviour - Ellwood

08:00 , Matt Mathers

Senior Tory MP Tobias Ellwood said the support Boris Johnson once enjoyed from the party base is now "changing before our very eyes" into "disappointment" and "anger."

Mr Ellwood suggested Mr Johnson’s "long-term intention" of plotting a comeback now looked less possible as the Conservatives are "left to pick up the pieces".

"Johnson’s confidence stemmed from the huge support he received from the party base," Mr Ellwood told Sky News.

"He was loved by members across the country but this is changing before our very eyes. There’s now disappointment even anger that the party, the activists are left to pick up the pieces".

Sunak dodges questions on report

07:50 , Matt Mathers

Prime minister Rishi Sunak avoided questions on Thursday morning about the privileges committee report into whether Boris Johnson misled parliament.

The report, which is expected to conclude that the former prime minister misled parliament when he denied that lockdown rules were broken in Number 10, is due to be released later today.

However, at an immigration visit in Harrow, Mr Sunak said he could not comment on a report he had not seen.

Asked if he believed if Mr Johnson should be allowed to be an MP, the prime minister said: "You are talking about a report that I haven’t seen and that no one else has seen. It wouldn’t be right to comment on it in advance of it coming out and being published."

He added: "These are matters for the House of Commons, and parliament will deal with it in the way that it does."

Mr Sunak was also asked if he was "frustrated" by Mr Johnson’s interventions in the past week.

"No, I’m just getting on with delivering for the country," he said. Watch the exchange below:

Wrong for MPs to ‘impugn’ committee - Lord Howard

07:40 , Matt Mathers

It is wrong for MPs to “impugn” the privileges committee investigation into whether Boris Johnson misled the Commons over Partygate, a former Conservative Party leader has said.

Lord Michael Howard noted that the committee was set up when Mr Johnson was in No 10 and criticised those who had sought to undermine its work.

“It is quite wrong, particularly for members of parliament to impugn that important parliamentary committee, set up by the House of Commons,” he told BBC Radio 4.

Johnson ally ‘not so sure’ if he trusts committee

07:27 , Matt Mathers

An ally of Boris Johnson who was knighted by the former prime minister in his controversial resignation honours lists says he’s “not so sure” if he trusts the privileges committee.

Sir Michael Fabricant, the MP for Lichfield,  told BBC Radio 4 he did not think Mr Johnson knowingly misled MPs when he said all Covid rules were followed in Downing Street during lockdown.

“I think I trust parliament but I’m not so sure I trust the privileges committee,” he said when asked if he trusted the house to judge the ex-PM’s behaviour.

ICYMI: Boris Johnson in desperate last-ditch ruse to derail Partygate verdict

07:18 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson made a desperate last-ditch bid to derail the privileges committee just hours before the release of its damning report – expected to find that he deliberately lied to parliament about Partygate.

The former PM demanded that Sir Bernard Jenkin “explain his actions and resign” from the committee following a report claiming the senior Tory MP attended a drinks reception in December 2020.

Adam Forrest reports:

Boris Johnson in desperate last-ditch ruse to derail Partygate verdict

07:16 , Matt Mathers

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live politics coverage.

We’ll be covering the long-awaited privileges committee report - due to be published at around 9am - into whether Boris Johnson misled the Commons over Partygate and other stories from Westminster and elsewhere.

Stay tuned for the latest updates.

By-election for Johnson’s ex-constituency to be held in July

07:08 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

The by-election for Boris Johnson’s former constituency will take place between 21 and 27 working days from the issuing of the writ, the government has confirmed.

Although an official date has not yet been fixed, the timing indicates that the by-election for Uxbridge and South Ruislip would take place between 13 and 21 July, BBC reported.

Boris Johnson in denial as he calls damning Partygate report ‘nonsense’

06:56 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Boris Johnson has vowed to launch an unprecedented attack on a parliamentary probe into Partygate widely expected to be so damning it is predicted to finally end his hopes of a political comeback.

Hours after it emerged an 11th-hour appeal from the former prime minister had delayed the publication of its findings, Mr Johnson said they should be released so “the world” could judge the “nonsense”.

In a warning to MPs who conducted the probe, including Tory MPs, he said: “The privileges committee should publish their report and let the world judge their nonsense. They have no excuse for delay. Their absurdly unfair rules do not even allow any criticism of their findings.”

Adding: “I have made my views clear to the committee in writing – and will do so more widely when they finally publish.”

More here.

Desperate Boris Johnson in denial as he calls damning Partygate report ‘nonsense’

Keir Starmer challenges ‘weak’ Rishi Sunak to hold immediate polls

06:35 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has challenged Rishi Sunak to hold an immediate general election after accusing the prime minister of being “too weak” to lead his government.

The leaders faced each other on Wednesday for the first political sparring session since Boris Johnson resigned as an MP last Friday.

“The Tory economic crash means that millions of mortgage holders will pay thousands of pounds more next year, and the blame lies squarely at the door of a government more focused on the internal wars of the Tory party than the needs of the country,” Sir Keir said.

Continuing his attack on the prime minister, the Labour leader said: “If he spent as much time focused on the economy, the NHS and the asylum system as he does haggling with his predecessors about who gets honours, the country would be in a far better state.

“Once again, he has lost control and once again, it is working people paying a price. If he disagrees with that, why not put it to the test, end the boasting, the excuses, the Tory chaos, see if he can finally find somebody, anybody anywhere to vote for him, and call a general election now?”

Starmer asks for Sunak to find ‘anybody, anywhere’ to vote for him

Speaker scolds Sunak for bringing up Labour’s Tom Watson

06:25 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Sir Lindsay Hoyle scolded Rishi Sunak for bringing up Labour’s Tom Watson during a fiery PMQs exchange about Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list.

The row between the prime minister and the Commons speaker began after Sir Keir Starmer accused Mr Sunak of being “too weak” to block Mr Johnson’s list.

The Labour leader challenged the PM to explain why the Tory party had spent the past week “arguing over which of them gets a peerage” despite spiralling food bills and mortgage rates.

Adam Forrest reports.

Speaker scolds Sunak for bringing up Labour’s Tom Watson in honours row

Fragile growth is not enough to keep Sunak in Downing Street

06:05 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

“It’s the economy, stupid”, was the slogan coined by the brilliant Democrat strategist James Carville during Bill Clinton’s first run for the White House in 1992.

Pinned to the wall of campaign HQ, it was a reminder that elections are usually won and lost on pocketbook issues.

As the Bank of England is widely expected to raise interest rates again, the question is whether an improving economy will come to the rescue of a beleaguered Rishi Sunak, writes Sean O’Grady.

Fragile growth is not enough to keep Sunak in Downing Street

Sunak ‘too weak to lead’, says Labour

05:54 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting yesterday said Rishi Sunak is “too weak to lead” and the government is distracted by the Conservative Party bust-up.

“Even if he is trying to focus on the issues of the day, he’s being dragged off with the clown show,” Mr Streeting told Times Radio.

He raised doubts about whether the public in the UK would be “losing much sleep” over the internal issues of the Conservative Party amid rising food prices and mortgage rates.

“As for the complaints about peerages, given what the country is going through, I think people will be getting out the world’s smallest violin,” Mr Streeting added.

Nadine Dorries vows to hold PM to ransom over resignation

05:28 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Nadine Dorries has warned Rishi Sunak she will not formally resign as an MP until the government releases documents surrounding the decision to deny her a peerage, causing a by-election headache for the prime minister.

In an extraordinary move likely to lead to accusations she is holding the government to ransom, she accused No 10 of “varying and conflicting statements” over her omission from Boris Johnson’s resignation honors list.

It comes after Rishi Sunak lashed out at Dorries’s failure to resign as an MP as promised – with No 10 describing her decision to hang on days after she said she was quitting as “unusual”.

More here.

Nadine Dorries vows to hold Rishi Sunak to ransom over resignation

Tories facing ‘full blown civil war’

05:16 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said yesterday that the Conservative Party is now in a “full-blown civil war” after Boris Johnson accused senior Tory MP Sir Bernard Jenkin of flouting lockdown rules.

“This a typical distraction tactic from Boris Johnson that doesn’t change the fact he broke the law and lied about it,” Ms Cooper said.

“The Conservative Party is now in a full-blown civil war, while people struggle to afford to pay their mortgage or get a GP appointment.”

The party called for a “general election now to finally get rid of this chaotic Conservative government”.

Partygate committee to publish report today

05:15 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

A report concluding whether former prime minister Boris Johnson misled the parliament with his lockdown breach denials will be published this morning following a 14-month-long investigation.

The privileges committee will release its findings on whether the former prime minister committed contempt of parliament by misleading MPs deliberately by denying lockdown rules were broken in No 10.

Allies rally around Boris Johnson aide handed youngest life peer

05:11 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Boris Johnson allies have come to the defence of a Downing Street adviser who is set to become the UK’s youngest-ever life peer amid accusations she overstated her time at No 10.

Charlotte Owen is one of seven nominees to the House of Lords that were approved as part of Mr Johnson’s resignation honours list that has sparked a war of words between the former prime minister and Rishi Sunak.

Ms Owen claims in her LinkedIn profile that she worked in the No 10 policy unit as a special adviser between February 2021 until October 2022, as reported by Tortoise.

She is not named in the special advisers report in 2021, but her name does appear the following year.

Joe Middleton reports.

Charlotte Owen: Allies rally around Boris Johnson aide handed youngest life peer

Boris Johnson demands Tory MP’s resignation for lockdown breach

04:45 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Boris Johnson has called on Sir Bernard Jenkin to resign from the privileges committee on the eve of the publication of its investigation into whether Mr Johnson lied to MPs.

The pro-Boris news website Guido Fawkes reported that Sir Bernard went to a drinks party held by commons deputy speaker Dame Eleanor Laing in December 2020, while London was in Tier 2 measures restricting indoor mixing.

The allegation emerged as the cross-party committee Sir Bernard sits on was preparing to publish on Thursday morning its damning report that Mr Johnson has already resigned as an MP over.

In a statement, Mr Johnson said: “Bernard Jenkin has just voted to expel me from parliament for allegedly trying to conceal from parliament my knowledge of illicit events.

“Now it turns out he may have for the whole time known that he himself attended an event – and concealed this from the privileges committee and the whole House for the last year.

“To borrow the language of the committee, if this is the case, he ‘must have known’ he was in breach of the rules.

“He has no choice but to explain his actions to his own committee, for his colleagues to investigate and then to resign.”

04:20 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Welcome to The Independent’s live blog bringing you all the latest updates from Westminster.

Privileges report ‘feels like’ end of a chapter - senior Tory

08:57 , Matt Mathers

Sir Robert Buckland said the publication of the Privileges Committee’s report "feels like" the end of a chapter, Archie Mitchell reports.

The former justice secretary said today "is an important moment", and he hoped "we can all move on" when the report has been voted on by Parliament.

Sir Robert told Sky News Boris Johnson "agreed to the process" of the investigation and "presumably knew what the consequences might be". And, hitting back at the former PM branding the report a "hit job", Sir Robert added: "If we start undermining the process.

What’s the consequence? The consequence will be that Parliament once again will be found not fit to govern its own affairs.

"Whatever the findings of the report, we should stick to those findings and support them in the wholeness or reject them."

He said it "would not be right" for MPs to amend the report