Image source, HoC

Back in the Commons chamber and William Wragg, Conservative MP and Chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, says he cannot hide his views "without ever more elaborate disguises".

He says he decided the prime minister "was no longer fit to govern" when the government's winter 2021 press conference on Covid restrictions was moved earlier to move the conversation on from the leaked video of Allegra Stratton joking about a party in Downing Street.

He says he knows that Tory MPs are "struggling at the moment" as the party "bears the scars of misjudgements of leadership".

There are few Conservatives who can "truly enjoy" being an MP at the moment, and he says it is "utterly depressing" to be asked to "defend the indefensible".

"Each time, part of us withers," he states.

"We must stop delegating and delaying our political judgement," he says people only have a limited amount of integrity, and it cannot be spent on someone who "we can't be sure will not let us down".

Parliament "should be venerated" by MPs who are "given the honour" to represent those in the areas they are from.

Vicki Young
Deputy Political Editor

The next few weeks are full of jeopardy for Boris Johnson.

The Met Police investigation goes on and more fines are possible; Sue Gray’s report will go into far more detail about what went on at Downing Street parties and it looks like an inquiry will find out whether he lied to Parliament.

But most dangerous of all is the reluctance of Tory MPs to defend his actions at a time when he needs all the support he can get.

They say a week is a long time in politics... today, that could apply to the last hour!

Let's have a quick catch up on what has happened so far:

• Labour has called a debate on whether to refer the PM to a committee of MPs so they can investigate if he mislead Parliament over lockdown parties in No 10
• Knowingly misleading Parliament is a resigning offence under the ministerial code
• It comes after Boris Johnson was fined for breaking Covid laws by attending a party in June 2020
• The government had planned to put forward an amendment, delaying the vote until after the police investigation had finished, and senior civil servant Sue Gray had published her own partygate report
• But minutes before the debate started, the government scrapped its plan and will now let Tory MPs vote however they want on Labour's proposal
• Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer opened the debate, saying it was based on the principle that "telling the truth in politics matters"
• The SNP's Westminster leader also called Boris Johnson a liar, and called for Tories to show "moral fibre" and vote for the new inquiry
• Senior Tory William Wragg said he would vote with the Labour amendment as it was "utterly depressing to be asked to defend the indefensible"
• The debate is expected to go on until at least 17:00 BST, when a vote will take place

Blackford repeats his accusation that the PM is a liar, saying former leaders would have been "long gone by now" if they had done the same.

He also accuses Boris Johnson of "lying to the Queen" over the prorogation of Parliament during the heights of the Brexit row - but he is chastised by the Speaker for his language, who makes him withdraw it.

The SNP leader continues his criticism, however.

And he calls on Tory MPs now "to show some moral fibre and show some backbone" in supporting the investigation when they vote later.

Next to speak is the SNP's Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, who says on days like this, he thinks of those who made sacrifices over the Covid pandemic.

But then he moves to his argument...

"At the very heart of this scandal there is one thing that needs to be said and heard - the prime minister of the United Kingdom is a liar," he says.

Blackford says the PM denied parties took place when he spoke to the Commons in December and "hid behind his staff".

"But we know the truth," he adds. "The truth contains no ifs, no buts... this House was misled and so was the public."

Image source, HoC

Senior Conservative MP and Father of the House Sir Peter Bottomley says his preference "would be to go with the [government] amendment", which has now been withdrawn.

He says he believes it is not the right time for MPs to be making a decision on the matter, and instead it should be made when all the facts are available.

He says the prime minister did not believe that the event for his birthday was a formal gathering.

"I don't believe we should build a great big cake on top of that admission, that acceptance" that a mistake was made, he states.

Some of the events today are "straight forward" - Labour trying to attack the Conservatives ahead of local elections in May, he finishes.

The Labour leader ends his speech by saying MPs "have a duty" to vote for the motion, and if they fail, "the public will not forgive or forget".

He says not going ahead with an investigation would lead to them being branded as the Parliament that "failed to stand up for honesty" and "failed to stand up to a prime minister who used our faith against us".

And he warns future generations will also judge their actions.

Things get a bit rowdy when one Tory MP raises language used by those on the Labour benches in the past - namely a former shadow chancellor talking about "lynching" and the current deputy leader's previous "Tory scum" remarks.

But Starmer says he is disappointed in the intervention, saying if the debate "descends into a shouting match we lose the principle that is there to defend all of us".

He adds: "This motion should pass today."

Starmer defends asking the Commons privileges committee to investigate whether the PM misled the House.

He says the committee has a Tory majority, so Johnson will be judged by his peers, and it won't take place until after the police investigation.

Some more interventions and Conservative MP Sir Edward Leigh, who has stood by the prime minister, appeals for the debate to be "toned down" and for MPs not to accuse each other of being liars.

Former shadow chancellor, Labour's John McDonnell, agrees with his point - but says the "seriousness of this matter" can't be toned down.

Starmer concurs, saying if today's motion isn't passed to restate the principles of telling the truth in politics, the whole of the Commons is allowing "standards to slip".

The Labour leader says the PM has told the Commons things that are not true "safe in the knowledge he wont be accused of lying because he is not allowed to be" under parliamentary rules.

"He has used our faith and our conventions to cover up his misdeeds," Starmer says.

"We know the prime minister himself broke the law and faces the possibility of being found to have broken it again and again and again."

Image source, HoC

A number of MPs from across the Commons have intervened in Sir Keir Starmer's speech to talk about their own losses during Covid and stories of constituents.

Starmer says some in the government have tried to suggest "an equivalence" between Covid fines and speeding fines.

But he says they don't understand the "enormity of the difference".

He says the nation went through the "trauma" of Covid together and many are left with "guilt" for not breaking the rules to see others when they were in pain, or dying.

Starmer says when nations are divided "with their own alternative facts", democracy becomes "obsessed with defeating the other side".

He adds: "Politics becomes a blood sport rather than a quest to improve lives."

Starmer reiterates the investigation he is calling for won't take place until the police inquiry has concluded so all the information is available.

But he says while the PM says no rules were broken, 50 fines have already been sent out.

"This is about honesty, integrity and telling the truth in this place," he adds.

"I am not claiming this as a Labour Party principle, it is a principle we all share... and a principle under attack."

Back in the Commons, and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says it is a serious accusation against the prime minister that he deliberately misled the Commons, so must not be undertaken lightly.

But he accuses Conservative ministers of trying to ignore it and not allow a proper investigation.

"The convention that Parliament must not be misled and in return we do not accuse each other of lying are not purist quirks of this place, they are fundamental pillars," he adds.

Government underestimated anger of Tory MPspublished at 11:51 British Summer Time 21 April 2022

11:51 BST 21 April 2022

Vicki Young
Deputy Political Editor

A few hours ago Downing Street insisted it could "easily have killed off" Labour’s motion but not for the first time they massively underestimated the anger of their own MPs.

Dozens simply weren't prepared to defend Boris Johnson over Partygate, fearing it would reflect badly on them and voters would accuse them of a cover-up.

Image source, HoC

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle is opening the debate in Westminster on referring the prime minister to the Committee on Privileges, which will report on whether or not Boris Johnson is in contempt of Parliament.

He reminds MPs of the importance of "good temper" while the debate takes place.

He says he "understands that it is now the intention of the government not to move that amendment," confirming the news that broke shortly before the debate began that the government was not going to push through its amendment to delay the investigation.

After a hectic few minutes of all change, we are now getting to the debate itself - on Labour's original motion calling for the PM to be investigated by the Commons privileges committee on whether he misled the House.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer says he "seeks to defend the simple principle... that telling the truth in politics matters".

As the Commons debate is getting under way here is what Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner has to say on the government's U-turn over its parliamentary bid to delay a vote on referring the prime minister to the privileges committee.

She says it is "humiliating" for Conservative MPs who "were being pressured to vote for the government's cover up amendment".

The government knew they could not win this, she says, adding that the prime minister "is bang to rights".

"Tory MPs should do the right thing, respect the sacrifices that their constituents made during the pandemic, and vote in the national interest."

A senior government source says Boris Johnson has "always been clear that he’s happy to face whatever inquiries Parliament sees fit and is happy for the House to decide how it wishes to proceed today".

As a result, the government is dropping its amendment and will not be whipping its MPs (telling them which way to vote).

The source adds: "We tabled an amendment last night because we wanted to be explicit about ensuring Sue Gray is able to complete and publish her report without any further delay, as well as allow the Metropolitan Police to conclude their investigations.

"We now recognise that – in practice – this is almost certainly likely to be the case and therefore we are happy for the Labour motion to go through if that is the will of the House.”