Boris Johnson news – latest: Michael Gove says former PM is ‘man of integrity’

‘I think that Boris is someone who puts the country first,’ the levelling up secretary said

Question Time audience reveal if they thought Boris Johnson was telling MPs the truth

‘Boris Johnson is a man of integrity,’ Levelling up secretary Michael Gove agreed on Sophy Ridge on Sunday

When questioned on the show this morning about whether he thinks the former prime minister is a man of integrity, Mr Gove replied: “I think that Boris is someone who puts the country first, yes,”

It comes as Mr Johnson is under investigation by the Commons privileges committee over whether he deliberately or recklessly misled the Commons with his statements about Partygate.

MPs investigating whether the former prime minister intentionally misled parliament over his understanding of parties in Downing Street during the pandemic could recommend a suspension of more than 10 days, triggering a contest for his Uxbridge constituency.

Mr Johnson is now preparing for a “worst case” scenario in which he has to fight a by-election he is expected to lose, allies have said.

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[25 March 2023 17:30 · Martha Mchardy]

Partygate inquiry: what happens now?

Boris Johnson’s parliamentary hearing may be over, but the inquiry still has a long way to go.

The parliamentary privileges committee must now decide if the Commons was misled, and – if so – whether that was a contempt of parliament, and what punishment Mr Johnson should face, if any.

The committee is also looking at whether any potentially misleading statements from Johnson were “inadvertent, reckless or intentional” – and may look into how quickly and comprehensively such claims were “corrected”.

Boris Johnson (PA)

It’s not yet clear exactly when the committee will conclude its investigation and present its conclusion to the Commons, but it is expected to happen after Easter.

MPs will then vote to ratify or disagree with its conclusions and sanctions.

What could the committee decide?

1. Johnson is found not to have misled parliament

In this case, Mr Johnson will not be sanctioned at all. However, this is an unlikely scenario.

The ex-PM has already admitted some of his statements were misleading to MPs. This means the committee is likely to judge whether Johnson corrected his statement quickly enough, so they will be looking at whether Mr Johnson was in contempt.

2. Johnson did mislead parliament and is suspended for 10 days

Mr Johnson could be suspended from Parliamentfor10 sitting days if he is found in contempt.

The suspension would trigger a recall petition.

If 10% of eligible registered voters in Johnson’s constituency then signed the petition his seat would then be declared vacant.

A by-election to fill his seat would follow.

3. Johnson did mislead parliament and is expelled

The committee could also recommend an expulsion for the former PM. This would mean the local electorate would not have a say on whether he got to keep his seat if MPs all voted to remove him from parliament.

This is unlikely gievn his support from some backbench Tory MPs.

4. Johnson did mislead parliament, but faces a lighter punishment

Mr Johnson could be found in contempt of parliament, but the committee might suggest a different sanction.

He may have to make a written apology, apologise in person to his parliamentary peers, or receive a shorter suspension which doesn’t trigger a recall petition.

[25 March 2023 16:30 · Martha Mchardy]

Watch the highlights from Boris Johnson’s grilling by MPs over Downing Street lockdown parties

[25 March 2023 15:30 · Martha Mchardy]

Poll finds vast majority of Britons think Boris Johnson is dishonest

The vast majority of Britons think Boris Johnson is dishonest, a new poll has found after the former prime minister insisted he did not lie to MPs over Partygate during a heated inquiry hearing.

The YouGov poll found that 72 per cent of Britons think Mr Johnson is dishonest, while 51 per cent of Conservative voters and 59 per cent of pro-Brexit voters polled believe the same.

Martha McHardy reports:

[25 March 2023 14:30 · Martha Mchardy]

Recap: what you might have missed

A parliamentary inquiry, conducted by the Commons privileges committee, is investigating whether Boris Johnson deliberately or recklessly misled the Commons with his statements about Partygate.

If he is found to have done so, he could be suspended as an MP – potentially triggering a by-election in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.

During an occasionally bad-tempered three-hour grilling, the former prime minister defended the decision to hold parties inside No 10 during the pandemic – including one attended by his wife and his interior designer – saying they had been “necessary” for work purposes.

Boris Johnson (PA)

It also emerged that Mr Johnson had been explicitly warned against claiming that all Covid guidance had been followed – but did so anyway.

Here, we summarise the key points from the inquiry so far:

Mr Johnson:

• said he would have been “utterly insane” to knowingly lie to parliament, after swearing an oath on the Bible
• described holding leaving drinks for No 10 staff during lockdown as “essential”
• said staff in No 10 “didn’t touch each other’s pens” during the pandemic, but admitted that “of course” they had passed each other drinks at events
• complained of the “manifestly unfair” process in the hearing

Mr Johnson is now preparing for a “worst case” scenario in which he has to fight a by-election he is expected to lose, allies have said.

[25 March 2023 13:30 · Martha Mchardy]

The Partygate inquiry must not be derailed by the bluster of a known liar

Impartiality is vital and the MPs looking into the former prime minister will put fair process ahead of political party allegiance, writes Dominic Grieve

[25 March 2023 12:30 · Martha Mchardy]

Covid victims’ families react to Boris Johnson’s Partygate probe: ‘I missed mother’s last moments’

Having missed her last moments due to Covid restrictions, Mick Yates stood two metres apart from his brothers as his mother’s coffin was lowered into her grave on 26 June 2020. A week before, Boris Johnson had been photographed in a room full of at least 30 people celebrating his birthday at a time of strict lockdown rules.

Mr Yates’ mother Doris – “frail but fully with it” – died aged 93 of Covid-19 and pneumonia on 29 May, three days after she fell ill. Mr Yates, from Wiltshire, said the Covid restrictions in place at the time made it too difficult to be by his mother’s side in Burton Upon Trent before she died.

Mick Yates’ mother Doris. (Mick Yates)

Mick Yates’ mother Doris’ funeral. ( Mick Yates)

Only he, his wife, two siblings and their wives were able to attend the funeral. “My mum was quite popular, and she did want to have a funeral where people could come along,” said the 73-year-old. “But that wasn’t possible. That was the worst side of it, that my mum’s own wishes couldn’t be fulfilled.”

He said he understood the rules “were there for good reasons” but the social distancing made the day of the funeral “incredibly poignant”. The rules also meant the family had to go their separate ways straight afterwards.

Mr Yates said, for him, it was Mr Johnson’s sheer “lack of responsibility” that was hard to bear. “I just don’t understand the mindset that says ‘not me guv’ - it’s totally disingenuous,” he said. “His track record is not good - this is just the icing on the cake. I think the whole circus around it is disrespectful to the general public.”

[25 March 2023 11:30 · Joe Middleton]

Delaying planned increase in state pension age will cost more than £60bn, IFS warns

Failing to increase the state pension age to 68 as the government had planned could cost the taxpayer more than £60bn, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned.

The decision to bring forward the rise by seven years – so that it comes into effect between 2037 and 2039, rather than between 2044 and 2046 – was first announced by Theresa May’s government in 2017. The plan would mean millions of people being left waiting an extra year for their pension.

Ministers had until recently been expected to confirm the decision in their review of the pension age, which is due to be published by May this year. The government is legally required to publish such a review every six years.

[25 March 2023 11:00 · Joe Middleton]

TikTok ban: UK parliament and Scottish government block app amid alarm over security

TikTok has been banned in the UK parliament and its network, as well on Scottish government devices, in the latest blow for the app.

The new measures were announced as TikTok launched an attempt to avoid a complete ban in the US, during hearings in Congress. They came at the same time as its chief executive, Shou Chew, told US politicians that the app was safe – but that he could not guarantee that the Chinese government cannot influence its content.

The UK’s parliament announced that the app will be blocked from “all parliamentary devices and the wider parliamentary network”, and pointed to concerns about security.

[25 March 2023 10:30 · Joe Middleton]

Boris Johnson should quit as MP, says daughter of woman who died from Covid during Downing Street party

A woman whose mother died of coronavirus just days before one of the Downing Street parties has called for Boris Johnson to quit as an MP after he denied “hand on heart” lying to MPs over rule-breaking.

Naomi Fulop, who was prevented by restrictions from being with her siblings to grieve properly or have a full funeral, said it was clear the former prime minister had not been honest with the Privileges Committee investigating his statements.

Prof Fulop told The Independent: “It’s totally clear to me and I think to most of the population that he was telling people to do one thing and doing something else himself because he thinks the rules don’t apply to him.”

[25 March 2023 10:00 · Joe Middleton]

Keir Starmer praises Margaret Thatcher for views on law and order