The commission of inquiry which hears Boris Johnson on Wednesday in the “Partygate” scandal, these illegal parties organized in Downing Street during the Covid-19 pandemic, will examine all the statements of the former Prime Minister, to determine whether he knowingly lied to Parliament.
If it establishes that Boris Johnson lied to MPs, he could be suspended which would seriously threaten his political future.
Comment in question
The main points that will be scrutinized are the following.
He said on December 1, 2021: '
All instructions were fully followed at No 10 (Downing Street)
,' outside the House of Commons, his first statement on the case, after his party was revealed by the Daily Mirror the day before.
December 8, 2021: “
Since these accusations emerged, I have been assured on several occasions that there were no parties and that no Covid-related rules were broken
”, insists t- he again, in reaction to the publication by the ITV channel of a damning video of its press officer at the time, Allegra Stratton.
In this video, she is filmed rehearsing answers to give to the media if asked about the case, and laughing at claims that Downing Street staff partied the previous Christmas.
She subsequently resigned.
In front of the deputies, Boris Johnson said he was "
furious
of the content of this video.
A few days later, the Prime Minister announced the establishment of an investigation into the scandal, to be led by senior civil servant Sue Gray.
On April 12, 2022, Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie, along with his finance minister Rishi Sunak, were fined for attending a party to mark Mr Johnson's birthday in June 2020.
I must say in all honesty, at the time, it did not occur to me that it could have been a violation of the rules
, ”he defends himself.
On May 25, 2022, the report of the investigation led by Sue Gray is published, and describes, without obscuring any details, the parties organized in Downing Street during the pandemic.
If Boris Johnson claims to "
bitterly regret
" the image given of his teams in the report, he refuses to resign despite calls to this effect from the opposition.
“
It didn't occur to me that I was doing anything other than what I thought was my duty as prime minister during a pandemic, and that's why I did it,” he defends himself
. to justify his presence at farewell parties for colleagues.
"
When I came to this room and said in all sincerity that the rules and guidelines were followed all the time - that was what I believed to be true.
This was certainly the case when I attended rallies to say goodbye to civil servants
, ”he said again in Parliament.
Boris Johnson finally resigned on July 7, 2022.
