UK parliamentary committee to conclude Boris Johnson 'partygate' inquiry
A U.K. parliamentary committee is meeting to conclude its inquiry into whether former Prime Minister Boris Johnson misled lawmakers over parties at his Downing Street office that breached COVID-19 lockdown restrictions
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A U.K. parliamentary committee is meeting Monday to conclude its inquiry into whether former Prime Minister Boris Johnson misled lawmakers over parties at his Downing Street office that breached COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.
Members of Parliament's Privileges Committee have pledged to continue with the investigation into Johnson’s conduct after he unexpectedly quit as a lawmaker on Friday and angrily accused political opponents of driving him out in a “witch hunt.”
The committee is expected to finalize its highly-anticipated report Monday. British media report that the findings could be published in the coming days.
Johnson, 58, said the Privileges Committee told him he will be sanctioned for misleading Parliament over “partygate,” a series of boozy parties and gatherings in his office that broke strict pandemic restrictions that his government had imposed on the country.
He accused the committee, which has members from both government and opposition parties, of bias and called it a “kangaroo court.” In response, the committee said that Johnson “impugned the integrity” of Parliament with his attack.
While Johnson has quit Parliament and will no longer be affected by any decision to suspend him, the committee could choose to apply other sanctions like barring him from entering Parliament's grounds.
Revelations that Johnson and his staff held office parties, birthday celebrations and “wine time Fridays" in 2020 and 2021, at a time when millions were told not to see loved ones or even attend family funerals, angered many Britons and contributed to his downfall. Johnson resigned as prime minister last summer.
Police fined him and other senior officials for violating lockdown rules, but Johnson has insisted to lawmakers that he didn't deliberately mislead Parliament over the gatherings.
He has told the committee he “honestly believed” the five events he attended, including a send-off for a staffer and his own surprise birthday party, were “lawful work gatherings” intended to boost morale among overworked staff members coping with a deadly pandemic.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.