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Boris Johnson on Partygate Scandal

Denied misleading parliament (strong)

TL;DR

Boris Johnson denies deliberately misleading Parliament over Partygate, while accepting mistakes and regretting the pain caused.

Key Points

  • He received a fixed penalty notice (FPN) for attending a gathering on 19 June 2020 to mark his birthday, which he later apologised for.

  • A parliamentary Privileges Committee concluded that he deliberately and repeatedly misled Parliament, recommending a 90-day suspension had he not resigned as MP on 9 June 2023.

  • He argued that the narrative surrounding Partygate was a "million miles from the reality of what actually happened" while testifying at the COVID-19 Inquiry in December 2023.

Summary

Boris Johnson maintained that any suggestion he wanted to allow COVID-19 to "let rip" was completely wrong, and he subsequently branded portrayals of the gatherings at Downing Street during the pandemic as a travesty of the truth. He consistently admitted that mistakes "unquestionably" occurred across government during the crisis and expressed regret for the pain and suffering caused by the pandemic overall. His core position regarding the events themselves was that his aides believed they were operating within the rules, and that he genuinely believed the gatherings he attended were lawful events intended to boost staff morale, even after receiving a fixed penalty notice for one event.

The scandal, which involved numerous gatherings held while strict COVID-19 restrictions were in place, ultimately contributed to his downfall as Prime Minister and his later resignation as a Member of Parliament. A parliamentary committee concluded that he had deliberately and repeatedly misled Parliament regarding whether rules were broken, a finding he strongly contested, calling the committee a "kangaroo court" bent on his political removal. While Johnson apologised for the events and paid a police fine, the controversy, combined with other ethics scandals, severely eroded public and parliamentary support for his leadership.

Frequently Asked Questions

Boris Johnson's position is that he did not deliberately mislead Parliament regarding the events that became known as Partygate. He has accepted that mistakes were made and apologised for the pain caused by the pandemic, but he maintained that gatherings he attended were lawful work events meant to boost morale.

The former Prime Minister apologised for the offence and impression given by a leaked video of staff joking about a party and for attending an event on 20 May 2020, for which he received a fine. However, he fought back against the parliamentary committee findings, insisting he had not lied intentionally.

The House of Commons Privileges Committee concluded that Boris Johnson deliberately misled Parliament by assuring them rules were followed when they had not been. They also found him complicit in a campaign to intimidate those investigating his conduct, recommending a 90-day suspension which he avoided by resigning as an MP.

Sources3

* This is not an exhaustive list of sources.