Several people familiar with the Privileges Committee’s investigation into whether Boris Johnson misled MPs over parties in No10 have spoken to ITV News. They say that a large amount of damaging evidence from inside No10 has already been handed over to Harriet Harman, who is chairing the inquiry.
Harriet Harman is said to be laser focused on the advice Boris Johnson received from No10 staff as revelations about parties hit the headlines. Crucially, the inquiry will try to establish whether there is evidence that he was part of a cover up when he told MPs that no rules had been broken, or whether he was misled by staff himself.
Focus has once again turned to the Privileges Committee following speculation that Boris Johnson may attempt to return as Prime Minister. He has gained some early momentum in the race, with dozens of MPs hoping that he can improve the party’s polling.
One Conservative source told ITV News: “It is amazing that some Tory MPs want Boris back, saying they think he can win them the next election. But will he even make it that far? If the Privileges Committee is as damning for him as it sounds, he is possibly gone by Christmas. The fact he is standing at all whilst under investigation is shameful. It’s hardly the stability and unity everyone is calling for.”
If the Privileges Committee finds that Boris Johnson did indeed mislead MPs over partygate, the former Prime Minister would be facing a potential suspension from the House of Commons and may even be forced to resign a second time. A significant number of MPs worry that this will only plunge the party back into chaos.
The committee is expected to sit in November and is rumoured to last for around three weeks. LBC’s Theo Usherwood tweeted: “Warning to Tories about a Boris Johnson come back. Privileges committee inquiry into partygate slated for beginning of November. Talk of it sitting four-hours-a-day Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday for three weeks. There are so many witnesses who want to come forward.”
Incompetence and law-breaking, shambles and chaos - BJ’s back …
The Premature releasing of partygate info kinda makes up for the withholding of Sue Gray investigation where she criticised the damning culture and leadership at number 10 .
Including multiple breaches of Covid rules during the pandemic.
Its the state we’re in, a failure at the last election for PM up against a resigned previous PM, is there truly no one better, even the policies don’t work ,I’ve always voted Tory, never again .
Somehow, I doubt that it’s much of a secret anyway, especially if there are so many potential witnesses to be heard. The article didn’t state that it was the committee that had released details.
Several people familiar with the Privileges Committee’s investigation into whether Boris Johnson misled MPs over parties in No10 have spoken to ITV News.
Steve Baker’s intervention came during a fresh round of blows traded by Conservative MPs in support of their favoured leadership candidate during the Sunday morning broadcast interviews.
Northern Ireland minister Mr Baker, an influential figure on the Tory right, did not hold back as he offered his backing to former chancellor Rishi Sunak.
"There’s going to be a vote before the House of Commons on this issue of privileges, whether he deliberately misled the house. In that vote it’s guaranteed there’ll be a large number of Conservatives who will refuse, as they see it, to lay down their integrity to save him, and at that moment his premiership will collapse. It’s a guaranteed nailed-on failure and we cannot allow it to happen.”
The former prime minister has been on holiday in the Dominican Republic but is set to return to London after telling an ally that he will run to lead the country again.
Like Napoleon returning from Elba, confident of victory and reclaiming the throne, BJ miscalculated, underestimated the opposition and met his Waterloo …
Next:
What is the schedule for the inquiry?
On 29 June this year, it was announced that the committee had held its first meeting on the investigation, which it also used to submit a call for evidence.
This includes documents or photographs taken at the various No 10 gatherings which might include evidence of “Mr Johnson’s knowledge of the activities in 10 Downing Street and the Cabinet Office under Covid regulations, from the occurrence of those events until now; [and] any briefing given to, or inquiries made by, Mr Johnson relating to those events.”
The committee gave people a deadline of 29 July to submit their evidence, which it said would be followed by oral evidence sessions in the autumn. The decision to take both written and oral evidence was to protect the identity of witnesses who wished to remain anonymous.
This means that the committee’s final report will likely remain unpublished until late autumn or winter 2022.
