Before starting his statement, Johnson was asked by Harman if he believed his written submission the committee has published is true. He said: "I do".

Johnson goes on to say that on a number of days over 20 months, gatherings took place at Downing Street that "went past the point where they could be said to be necessary for work purposes".

"That was wrong, I bitterly regret it, I understand the public anger and I continue to apologise for what happened on my watch," he says.

He says the purpose of this inquiry is not to reopen "so-called Partygate", it's to discover whether or not I lied to Parliament, misled colleagues and the country about what I knew and believed about those gatherings.

"I'm here to say to you, hand on heart, that I did not lie to the House."

Ione Wells
Political correspondent, reporting from the hearing

Boris Johnson starts his statement by telling the chair - Harriet Harman - that he needs to vote in a few minutes. She reminds him that there are many MPs in the House, and that if there is a vote called, they’ll suspend this session to allow them to.

It’s significant though as we are expecting Johnson to vote against the government’s new Windsor Framework later today – the new post-Brexit trade arrangements agreed for Northern Ireland.

He’s rebelling against the government, on their attempts to remedy issues caused by a post-Brexit deal he agreed as prime minister – the Northern Ireland Protocol.

This day is like one big recap of the last four years of Boris Johnson’s career.

Ione Wells
Political correspondent

It’s not normal for people to swear an oath when they give evidence to a parliamentary committee. They are not courts of law, after all.

Is this all just theatre? Well, not quite. The fact Boris Johnson has just done this also increases the jeopardy of this hearing.

If a committee makes their witness take an oath, it means if they give any false evidence that could be punishable as "perjury" – that’s a criminal offence, accusations of which could be put to the police.

This has only happened a handful of times at committee hearings.

Normally, not telling the truth to a parliamentary committee – or in the House of Commons – is only punishable as "contempt of parliament". Which is, as we know, what Boris Johnson is already being investigated for.

Contempt of parliament is something people can get sanctions for in parliament, but not in a court of law.

There is a question about whether an MP can be charged with perjury for words uttered in Parliament, because of a ban on the courts getting involved in parliamentary proceedings dating back to 1688 (!) – but this has never been tested, as no one’s ever been there.

Now the clips of statements in the House of Commons are over, Boris Johnson has sworn to tell the truth and nothing but the truth on a copy of the King James Bible.

Ione Wells
Political correspondent, reporting from the hearing

Boris Johnson is being made to look himself in the eye.

He's just been made to watch a video compilation right now of him repeatedly saying in the House of Commons that rules were followed and that he was "repeatedly assured" rules were followed.

It’s uncomfortable viewing.

In one of the clips, he tells the House: "The guidance was followed and the rules were followed at all times".

Harman says Johnson spoke about the question of Covid compliance in No 10 in the House of Commons more than 30 times

She says most particularly on the dates 1 December 2021, 8 December 2021 and 25 May 2022.

The committee is now watching clips where Johnson allegedly misled the House of Commons.

Here's our compilation of some of what he said:

Harman continues to define the scope of the committee's work.

She says the panel is looking at whether Johnson's statements were accurate, how "quickly and comprehensively" any misleading statements he made were corrected.

The question is whether any errors were rectified in "good time", she says.

Harman makes it clear that the committee has not been tasked with sorting out the rights and wrongs of the Covid pandemic, but rather whether or not Boris Johnson told the truth to Parliament.

She makes it clear the committee is non-partisan, made up of four Conservative and three opposition MPs - reflecting the political balance in the House of Commons.

Harman says they leave their party interest at the door of the committee room, acting in the best interests of Parliament.

She adds their job is to assess whether Johnson mislead the House, whether or not this was "reckless or intentional", and if the record was corrected in a timely manner.

Harman goes on to deny the committee is relying on material from Sue Gray's investigation, adding the former senior civil servant is not a witness.

Committee Chairwoman, Labour's Harriet Harman, starts by saying the purpose of the hearing is to decide whether or not Boris Johnson misled the House of Commons, if he committed contempt of the House and if this was intentional or reckless.

She says misleading the House might sound like a technical issue but it's a matter of great importance.

She says if what ministers tell us is not the truth then we can't do our job and democracy depends upon trust.

She adds that everyone makes mistakes and when minsters do so they are expected to correct it at the earliest opportunity.

The Labour chair of the committee is speaking now about what the committee has been tasked to do by the House of Commons.

Members of the Privileges Committee have gathered and taken their seats in the House of Commons meeting room.

Boris Johnson and his team of lawyers are coming in as well.

First, we expect to hear from committee chairwoman Harriet Harman. We'll bring you her opening remarks on this page - but you can also watch live by pressing the Play button at the top of this page.

Ione Wells
Political correspondent, reporting from the hearing

Today matters to all of us because it’s a stark reminder of the difficult rules everyone had to follow, and that some of the people who set them broke them.

It matters to Boris Johnson because if he’s found to have broken another set of rules – those that require politicians to tell the truth in parliament – that could come with tough sanctions that could determine the future of his political career.

But remember - today is not about re-opening the investigations into whether or not Covid rules were followed.

Today really matters because it’s about big issues like truth and democracy.

The reason misleading the House of Commons is treated so seriously is because it is considered a way that can interfere with Parliament operating properly, performing its duty, and ultimately representing all of us.

Ione Wells
Political correspondent, reporting from the hearing

Some MPs who have been supportive of Boris Johnson, like Jacob Rees-Mogg and Michael Fabricant, are sitting in the room.

The committee have taken their seats, but Boris Johnson is yet to arrive.

James FitzGerald
Live reporter

Just to give you an idea of what we will be bringing you here today, it's likely the hearing could go on for several hours so our aim is to capture the key moments for you - any dramatic exchanges or eyebrow-raising statements. We'll follow the questions and answers, and highlight the key arguments through the course of the afternoon.

And you can watch the whole thing live at the top of this page.

We expect an opening address from the committee's chairwoman, Labour MP Harriet Harman, after things get under way at 14:00. The hearing looks set to be interrupted as MPs vote on the Windsor Framework - the government's plan for post-Brexit trade arrangements in Northern Ireland.

Covering the proceedings live with me are Rob Corp, Becky Morton, Adam Durbin and Emily McGarvey. And our political correspondent Ione Wells will be reporting live from the committee room.

Stick with us.

We're 10 minutes away from the scheduled start of this session. Boris Johnson is going to face potentially hours of questioning from the Privileges Committee of MPs. Stay with us and watch live at the top of this page.

Adam Durbin
Live reporter

As we wait for Boris Johnson to be questioned by the Privileges Committee, external, here's a quick guide to its role and who sits on it.

The committee is a cross-party group charged with investigating MPs for contempt of Parliament and breaches of parliamentary privilege rules (which allow MPs legal immunity for statements made in the House of Commons).

Parliament's rules lay out that the committee is chaired by an MP from the party in opposition - in this case Labour's Harriet Harman.

The previous chairman, Labour's Chris Bryant, recused himself from this investigation due to previous statements he had made which were critical of Johnson.

While the former PM and his allies have described the committee of being possibly biased against him, it is important to note it has a Conservative majority.

The seven MPs who sit on the committee are:

• Andy Carter - Conservative
• Alberto Costa - Conservative
• Allan Dorans - SNP
• Yvonne Fovargue - Labour
• Harriet Harman - Labour (chairwoman)
• Bernard Jenkin - Conservative
• Charles Walker - Conservative

We know there's a lot of complexity to this story.

As a reminder - it all relates to what went on in Downing Street during the era of Covid restrictions, and whether then-PM Boris Johnson and his team observed the same rules that we all did.

A report by the official Sue Gray found that they hadn't and police fines were issued - including to Johnson and Rishi Sunak.

Here's a list of the parties and gatherings:

15 May 2020: The PM and his staff are pictured with wine and cheese in the Downing Street garden. When asked about it, Johnson said they were people at work “talking about work”

20 May 2020: About 100 people invited to "socially distanced drinks in the No 10 garden". Johnson later apologises for attending the event, saying he spent 25 minutes thanking staff before returning to his office

19 June 2020: On Boris Johnson's birthday, up to 30 people gather in the Cabinet Room at No 10 to wish him happy birthday, according to ITV News. This is the event Johnson is fined for – though he now says it "remains unclear" to him as to why

Image source, Cabinet Office

13 November 2020: Two gatherings are understood to have taken place in Downing Street: one to mark the departure of his special adviser Dominic Cummings and one in the Downing Street flat

15 December 2020: A Christmas quiz for No 10 staff, sources tell the BBC. The Sunday Mirror publishes a photo of Johnson taking part. Johnson denies any wrongdoing

17 December 2020: Leaving party held at the Cabinet Office for the outgoing head of the civil service Covid taskforce - the team responsible for drawing up coronavirus restrictions.

18 December 2020: No 10 at first denies a report that a party took place in Downing Street on this date. However, a video, obtained by ITV, shows the PM's then-press secretary Allegra Stratton joking about reports of the event

14 January 2021: A gathering is held in No 10 to mark the departure of two private secretaries

16 April 2021: Two parties held by Downing Street staff at No 10, the night before Prince Philip's funeral

• Read more about the parties and the rules at the time here

Image source, Reuters

Boris Johnson's former chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, has been responding to today's evidence published by the Commons Privileges Committee.

Cummings says that the evidence from top civil servant Simon Case - who said he never advised Johnson that all Covid rules were followed in No 10 - "shows that as I said at the time the PM misled the Commons".

"The most senior official, deeply involved in everything to do with Covid and investigations into parties, is explicit that he did NOT tell the PM that guidance and rules were always followed," Cummings writes in a blog post.

In a post titled "Trolley case wrecked already" - Trolley being Cummings' nickname for the former prime minister - he says Johnson's primary defence "is wrecked".

This, Cummings writes, is because his old boss has said his statements, which he accepts were misleading, were based on the advice of his "most senior trusted officials".

However, Cummings writes: "The Commons has published their evidence. All three have denied they gave him that advice."

It's worth mentioning that Johnson has argued Cummings should not be treated as a "credible witness" because of his "animosity towards me".

Rob Corp
Live reporter

Ahead of Boris Johnson's appearance before the Committee of Privileges, there was a special guest appearance by Partygate at today's Prime Minister's Questions.

While the exchanges between Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer were mostly about this week's damning report on the Met Police, there was a brief segue into the prime minister being fined for breaking Covid rules when he was Johnson's chancellor.

Having pointed out he had been Director of Public Prosecutions, Starmer added that the only investigation the PM has ever been involved in ended with him being fined over Partygate.

Sunak shot back that "he had no prior knowledge" of the gathering for which he was fined.

He also turned the exchange on Labour by reminding MPs that Starmer wants to bring in Sue Gray - the senior civil servant who investigated lockdown parties in Downing Street - as his chief of staff.

Some Conservative MPs have suggested her inquiry into Partygate - which was highly critical of the leadership and culture at No 10 - has therefore been tainted.