Boris Johnson broke the corona restrictions at several gatherings in 2020, the police concluded last year. Johnson paid the fine immediately. But did the former Prime Minister lie to Parliament? A cross-party investigation committee will get to the bottom of it. On Wednesday afternoon, he was grilled about “partygate”. Johnson apologized for misleading Parliament with information he says he believed to be correct but was wrong. – I apologize for unintentionally misleading the parliament. But to say that I did it recklessly or deliberately is completely wrong, Johnson said. Boris Johnson pictured at a gathering in Downing Street on November 13, 2020. Boris Johnson celebrated his own birthday in Downing Street on June 19, 2020. When the scandal surrounding the gatherings in the Prime Minister’s residence was at its worst, Johnson assured the House of Commons that all guidelines had been followed. But the police thought otherwise, and fined Johnson for these gatherings. Fined The police issued a total of 126 fines for breaking the covid rules. Both the then and current prime minister were among those who were fined. Johnson himself had attended four of these gatherings. In his 52-page defense letter to the parliamentary committee which today confronts him with evidence that he deliberately misled Parliament, Johnson admits that he misled the House of Commons, but that it happened unconsciously. – I did not foresee that this would become a big deal, he also admits. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson claims he did not lie to the House of Commons about the so-called “partygate” scandal. Insisting on his innocence, Johnson pointed out that they allowed photographers to take official pictures of the gatherings. He believes it proves that neither he nor his colleagues thought they were breaking the rules. He claims that he said what he did in good faith, and that no one around him alerted him to a breach of the rules. Johnson believes the events were linked to work, and therefore necessary. He was repeatedly asked if it was really work-related – This was not a party. If anyone thinks I’m partying during this period, they’re dead wrong, Johnson said. The claim is contested by several former advisers, according to the documentation the committee has published in the morning hours today. Johnson’s former chief adviser and strategist, Dominic Cummings, has called it “ridiculous” that Johnson thought a Downing Street garden party was a working meeting. – The Prime Minister definitely knew it was a party because I told him, and when he came out, he saw it. Johnson was pressed by the committee members on why he held farewell parties for employees when the guidelines strongly discouraged such. – Did it not strike you that these were unnecessary gatherings? asked fellow party member Bernard Jenkin. – Not for a second, Johnson replied. Protesters gathered outside Parliament ahead of Boris Johnson’s hearing on “partygate”. Photo: HENRY NICHOLLS / Reuters He indicated that they had many infection prevention measures in place in Downing Street, but also admitted that they removed themselves from the office spaces with partitions during the social gatherings. He was also asked whether alcohol was necessary in connection with work or whether it was work-related that his wife was involved. – I thought we had done our best. But when it comes to social distancing, it wasn’t possible to execute it perfectly, Johnson said. The former prime minister is ready to fight and has prepared a 52-page written defense ahead of today’s hearing. Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP Boris Johnson resigned as Prime Minister last September. By then “partygate” had raged for months. The term describes the many gatherings held in Downing Street by people in the government apparatus while the UK was subject to strict corona rules such as limited social contact. In the parliamentary committee’s preliminary report, the seven politicians sitting there write that it must have been obvious to Johnson that the gatherings broke the law. But Johnson refuses. He criticizes the committee, which consists of four politicians from his own Conservative Party, two from Labor and one from the Scottish National Party. He believes it is biased against him. Fighting for his political future If the committee concludes that Boris Johnson deliberately misled Parliament, he risks being suspended from the House of Commons. Johnson sits there as a member of parliament from a constituency in London. He risks losing that job. If the suspension is long, it could result in a new election which he potentially loses. If so, Boris Johnson is out of top British politics. When Wednesday’s grilling of the former prime minister ended, nothing was said about what the committee will conclude. It is expected that they will make a decision before the summer, writes the BBC. They will then conclude whether Johnson “deliberately” or “recklessly” misled the House of Commons, and what the appropriate punishment will be. The House of Commons will then debate the report and come up with a decision. Photo: TOLGA AKMEN / AFP The parties in the prime minister’s residence Staff in Downing Street must have regularly had a Friday drink or two in the office throughout the pandemic. Employees are said to have taken it in turns to bring a trolley case of wine to the office for the occasion. The corona ravaged the UK. In the garden of the Prime Minister’s residence, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, his wife Carrie, former chief adviser Dominic Cummings and Johnson’s private secretary Martin Reynolds were gathered. They are pictured in a photo leaked to The Guardian, along with 15 others, eating cheese and drinking wine. Johnson has called it a working meeting. Photo: Screenshot / The Guardian A leaked email from Boris Johnson’s private secretary Martin Reynolds to 100 employees at the Prime Minister’s office invited to an evening gathering. Guests were encouraged to bring their own drink, “bring your own booze”. In retrospect, Johnson has said that he was present for 25 minutes and that he should not have allowed the gathering to take place. Photo: Screenshot / ITV News Up to 30 employees surprised the Prime Minister with cake and a birthday song on his birthday. That same evening, family and friends are said to have gathered at the prime minister’s residence to celebrate Johnson. A spokesperson said the daytime gathering lasted ten minutes, while the evening celebration took place outdoors. Photo: Matt Dunham / AP Boris Johnson gives a speech at the farewell party for outgoing communications director Lee Cain. On the same evening, it is claimed that Carrie Johnson, who was engaged to the Prime Minister at the time, held another private party at the couple’s private residence. A spokesperson has called the claim “just nonsense”. Photo: No 10 Downing Street / Reuters After a working meeting in the Ministry of Finance, drinks were on the agenda. The event is referred to as spontaneous. At the time pubs were closed in London due to corona restrictions. Once again a Downing Street staff member is to quit. Once again, the Prime Minister’s staff must resign. Boris Johnson is said to have given a speech, and noted that it was in the room. The Ministry of Education in Great Britain is organizing a party. Among others, former education minister Gavin Williamson is said to have participated. Photo: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP Mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey and staff at the Conservative Party’s campaign headquarters are celebrating. The party is often called the Tories in Great Britain. Bailey has since apologized, acknowledging poor judgment. A Quiz is organized in the Prime Minister’s office, and Prime Minister Johnson is a participant. In a photo obtained by The Daily Mirror, he is sitting with colleagues with Christmas decorations. Other colleagues sit in other offices and have a virtual quiz together. Downing Street admitted that Johnson “briefly” attended the quiz, but says it was a virtual event. Photo: Screenshot / The Daily Mirror Employees in the Ministry of Transport had a party with dancing and drinks after work on the same day that London introduced strict measures due to corona infection. The ministry has apologized for the incident. Invitations must have been sent out by the secretary to cabinet secretary Simon Case. In the digital calendars, the event was marked as “Christmas party”. Another farewell party is said to have been arranged this evening, for Kate Josephs. She previously led the government’s work on corona. In the picture, Boris Johnson is jogging, pursued by journalists who want to talk about the festivities of the corona era. Photo: HANNAH MCKAY / Reuters Defense adviser and captain Steve Higham is to stop working for Johnson. Then it must be fixed. The Prime Minister is said to have popped in and given a speech. The big drum is played and invited to yet another Christmas party for the Prime Minister’s staff. It is this party that triggered the investigations. A widely publicized video shows Boris Johnson’s spokeswoman Angela Stratton joking about the incident in what appears to be a press conference. When this video is leaked, Stratton quits his job. Two staff are to leave Downing Street. Two parties are organized with 30 participants each, which will later be merged. There must have been both alcohol and dancing at the party, but the Prime Minister was not present. The following day there was a funeral for Britain’s Prince Philip. Due to the restrictions, Queen Elizabeth had to sit alone during the funeral. Downing Street has since apologized to the Queen. Photo: Jonathan Brady/AP
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