Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Read bombshell Partygate inquiry Whatsapp messages in full

‘I’m struggling to come up with a way this one is in the rules in my head’

Joe Sommerlad
Friday 03 March 2023 18:42 GMT
Comments
Related: Boris Johnson says he doesn’t understand why he was fined for Partygate

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 new report into Boris Johnson and the Partygate scandal has been released by MPs investigating whether the former Conservative prime minister lied to Parliament about his attendance at lockdown parties.

The House of Commons Committee on Privileges is looking into what Mr Johnson said about the Downing Street events that broke the restrictions his own government had imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The committee published a 24-page dossier on Friday that will be used to question Mr Johnson when he appears before MPs later this month.

“The evidence strongly suggests that breaches of guidance would have been obvious to Mr Johnson at the time he was at the gatherings,” the panel writes, suggesting that he may have misled the Commons on at least four occasions and “did not correct the statements” at the “earliest opportunity” as would have been expected.

The report also contains a number of WhatsApp messages supplied by Mr Johnson’s solicitors detailing private conversations between the then-PM and five other individuals, one of whom is Jack Doyle, his then-director of communications.

The texts show Downing Street officials worried about the gathering media storm developing over Partygate and admitting that they were “struggling” to formulate credible defensive lines to answer the increasingly persistent questions of Westminster lobby journalists.

In one particularly damning exchange, Mr Johnson’s communications chief concedes that there is a ”great gaping hole in the PM’s account” of the controversy.

You can read the complete messages included in the report below, arranged in chronological order, with the precise time each text was sent included in parentheses.

28 April 2021

Unnamed No. 10 official (16:47:12) “[Redacted name]’s worried about leaks of PM having a p*** up and to be fair I don’t think it’s unwarranted.”

30 November 2021

Director of communications (16:13:16): “Can you pull together our best possible defence on this one. I don’t know what we say about the flat.”

Unnamed No. 10 official (16:13:47): “Don’t we just do a generic line and not get into whether there was a drinks thing or not.”

Unnamed No. 10 official (16:14:16): “‘Covid rules have been followed at all times’ or something.”

Director of communications (16:14:18): “I think we have to say something as robust as we can manage but see what you think.”

25 January 2022

Director of Communications (06:54:30): “Have we had any legal advice on the birthday one?”

Director of Communications (06:55:06): “Haven’t heard any explanation of how it’s in the rules.”

Unnamed No. 10 official (08:04:46): “I’m trying to do some Q&A, it’s not going well.”

Director of Communications (08:05:12): “I’m struggling to come up with a way this one is in the rules in my head.”

Director of Communications (08:05:20): “PM was eating his lunch of course.”

Unnamed No. 10 official (08:06:47): “I meant for the police bit but yeah as ridiculous as the cake thing is it is difficult.”

Unnamed No. 10 official (08:06:56): “‘Reasonably necessary for work purposes’.”

Director of Communications (08:07:40): “Not sure that one works does it. Also blows another great gaping hole in the PM’s account doesn’t it?”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in