Boris Johnson has returned to where he wants to be, at the center. He’s not happy about it.
Britain’s ex-prime minister will be grilled Wednesday by a committee made up of lawmakers about whether he misled Parliament regarding rule-breaking members in government buildings during the coronavirus outbreak.
A bullish Johnson stated that the evidence “conclusively” showed that he had not recklessly or knowingly misled Parliament.
He said, “The committee has not produced a shred evidence to support that I have,”
The hearing, which is expected to last several hours and could be dangerous for a politician who has had a career full of scandals. Johnson could lose his seat or be suspended if the House of Commons Committee of Privileges finds that Johnson lied intentionally.
This would likely put an end to any hopes of a comeback for the 58 year-old politician. He led the Conservative Party in a landslide win in 2019, but was defeated by the party in July 2022, after becoming embroiled in scandals over ethics, money and judgment.
This month’s interim report was prepared by a committee of Conservative and opposition lawmakers. It stated that evidence strongly suggests that Johnson would have known that the gatherings at his Downing Street offices in 2020-2021 violated Covid-19 lockdown rules.
Johnson admitted Tuesday that his repeated assurances to Parliament that all rules were being followed “didn’t turn out to be accurate.” However, he stated that he did not deliberately or recklessly mislead lawmakers.
Johnson stated in a dossier of evidence that he had never considered that the gatherings, which included various types of cake, wine and cheese, broke the socializing restrictions that his government had placed on the country.
He stated that he believed the five events, which included a send off for a staffer, and his surprise birthday party were legal work gatherings.
He said that no cake was eaten and that no one sang “Happy Birthday” about the June 19, 2020 celebration.
Johnson stated that he was told by “trusted advisors” that neither the legally binding regulations nor the government’s coronavirus guidance were broken.
However, Johnson was not advised by senior officials that the guidance was always followed. The committee released written evidence on Wednesday showing that Martin Reynolds, principal private secretary, said that he “questioned whether it was realistic for us to argue that all guidance has been followed at all.”
Over the late-night parties, boozy parties, and “wine time Fridays,” police eventually issued 126 penalties to Johnson. The scandal contributed to the demise of the premiership.
The revelations about the gatherings caused anger among Britons, who had been following rules to stop the spread of coronavirus. They were unable to visit family members or say goodbye to their dying relatives in hospitals.
Johnson claimed that he was told by “trusted advisors” that no rules were broken. These assurances turned out to be false. Johnson said that he was “genuinely shocked” at the rule-breaking discovered by Sue Gray, a senior civil servant who conducted an investigation into “partygate.”
Johnson and his supporters also question Gray’s impartiality, as Gray has accepted the job of chief of staff to the leader in the Labour Party.
The committee could recommend punishments for Johnson if it finds him in contempt. These punishments could range from an oral apology to suspension of Parliament. However, any punishment would need to be approved by all House of Commons.
His constituents in South Ruislip, a suburban London seat, would be able to petition for a special electoral election to replace Johnson.
