Summary

  • A report by MPs says ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson deliberately misled the Commons over lockdown parties at No 10

  • The committee says it would have recommended suspending Johnson from the House for 90 days if he had not quit as an MP

  • It says he also “complicit in the campaign of abuse and attempted intimidation of the committee"

  • Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK accused Johnson of breaking his own rules "so he could have a party"

  • Leshie Chandrapala, who lost her father in the pandemic, told the BBC the bereaved are owed "a huge apology"

  • Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner said Johnson "never accepts responsibility for what he does"

  • The Lib Dems say the former PM "treated the public with utter disdain" while the SNP called for further sanctions against the ex-PM

  • Johnson, who has quit as an MP, called the report's findings "a protracted political assassination"

Live Reporting

Edited by Andrew Humphrey and Emma Owen

  1. Conclusions from photos holding glass are tripe - Johnson

    Handout photo dated 13 November 2020 Boris Johnson in Downing Street at a leaving gathering for a member of staff.Cabinet Office

    More from Boris Johnson’s statement in reaction to the committee report now.

    "I didn’t think for one minute that a committee of MPs could find against me on the facts, and I didn’t see how any reasonable person could fail to understand what had happened", he says.

    Johnson insists that he believes that events he attended "were reasonably necessary for work purposes" and "above all it did not cross my mind – as I spoke in the House of Commons – that the events were unlawful."

    He adds: "Why would we have had an official photographer if we believed we were breaking the law?"

    Johnson says the conclusions drawn from photos of him holding a glass are "tripe."

  2. Boris Johnson: 'This is rubbish. This is a lie.'

    We wanted to get the gist of the committee report to you before we gave you Boris Johnson's reaction - he has issued a robust defence of his actions.

    Amongst other things in his 1700 word statement, he says:

    "The committee now says that I deliberately misled the House, and at the moment I spoke I was consciously concealing from the House my knowledge of illicit events.

    “This is rubbish. It is a lie. In order to reach this deranged conclusion, the committee is obliged to say a series of things that are patently absurd, or contradicted by the facts."

  3. Let's bring you up to speed

    Emma Owen
    Live reporter

    Image of report.

    If you’re just joining us, here’s what we've learned from the Privileges Committee report so far:

    • Boris Johnson committed "repeated contempts" of Parliament
    • It recommended a 90-day suspension which would have paved the way for a by-election
    • Johnson committed further contempts in undermining the democratic processes of the Commons
    • He was "deliberately disingenuous when he tried to reinterpret his statements to the House to avoid their plain meaning and reframe the clear impression he intended to give"
    • His resignation statement breached confidentiality requirements by criticising the committee's provisional findings
    • MPs considered whether it should have recommended expelling Johnson from the Commons entirely

  4. Two members wanted Johnson expelled from House of Commons

    The report has also revealed that two MPs on the committee wanted Johnson expelled from the House - a far more serious sanction which would have forced an immediate by-election.

    During a meeting this Tuesday discussing the draft report, SNP MP Allan Dorans proposed an amendment to leave out the recommendation he be "suspended from the service of the House for 90 days" and insert "expelled from the House".

    Mr Dorans and Labour's Yvonne Fovargue voted for the amendment, with four Conservative MPs - Andy Carter, Alberto Costa, Sir Bernard Jenkin, and Sir Charles Walker - voting against.

  5. Johnson's attack on committee 'a serious further contempt'

    The committee has also commented on Johnson's resignation as an MP and his criticism of the committee members.

    The report says that as well as criticising the fairness of the committee's procedures, Johnson "attacks in very strong, indeed vitriolic, terms the integrity, honesty and honour of its members."

    "This attack on a committee carrying out its remit from the democratically elected House itself amounts to an attack on our democratic institutions."

    The report says that Johnson's conduct in this regard also amounts to a "serious further contempt".

    Extract from the report.

  6. Report is unflinching, unsparing and devastating for Johnson

    Chris Mason
    Political editor

    Blimey.

    This is a report – in breadth and depth – that demolishes Boris Johnson’s character and conduct.

    Boris Johnson was prime minister just 40 weeks ago.

    Driven from office by his peers, now driven from the Commons too.

    Johnson, the committee says, deliberately misled Parliament.

    Let’s be blunt: they are saying he lied.

    Had he still been an MP, a suggested suspension of 10 days would have been enough to potentially prompt a by election.

    They suggested 90 days. 90. Wow.

    And that’s not the end of it.

    They say he misled the committee, impugned the committee and was “complicit in the campaign of abuse and attempted intimidation of the Committee.”

    Full disclosure: clearly I’ve not read all of it yet. I’ve barely started.

    But the volume and frequency of Johnson’s anger since he saw it can now be seen by the rest of us in context – it is unflinching, unsparing and devastating for him.

    Johnson claims it is “a charade.”

  7. Johnson's contempt has no precedent, report says

    The committee says the contempt committed by Johnson was made more serious because he was prime minister.

    It says that there is no precedent for a prime minister to have deliberately misled the House of Commons.

    "He misled the House on an issue of the greatest importance to the House and to the public, and did so repeatedly," the report says.

  8. This report is as damning as it could have been

    Nick Eardley
    Chief political correspondent

    For days, we’ve thought it would be a hard read for Boris Johnson. It’s more than that.

    The recommendation of a 90 day suspension is remarkable. That is considerably above the point at which Mr Johnson would have faced a recall petition.

    Stand back; a committee of MPs has said Boris Johnson misled MPs, then misled a committee, then tried to undermine the democratic process.

    Boris Johnson has called this a “charade”.

    But the conclusions are considerably worse than many expected.

  9. No former member's pass for Johnson

    In light of Johnson's resignation as an MP, the committee has recommended that he should not be granted a former member's pass - which would have allowed him limited access to Parliament, including for lunches and to see former colleagues.

    The sanctions recommended in the report will have to be voted on by MPs.

    Boris Johnson out jogging on ThursdayReuters

    Johnson was photographed out for a run on Thursday ahead of the report being published

  10. Committee recommends 90 day suspension

    Chris Mason
    Political editor

    The Privileges Committee concludes Boris Johnson should have been suspended from the House for 90 days.

    It says he deliberately misled the House, the Committee, impugned the Committee and was "complicit in the campaign of abuse and attempted intimidation of the Committee."

    It adds "We recommend that he should not be entitled to a former Member's pass."

  11. Report finds Boris Johnson deliberately misled Commons
    Breaking

    The privileges committee has concluded that Boris Johnson deliberately misled the House of Commons, committing a serious contempt.

  12. The report has dropped

    Emma Owen
    Live reporter

    But it's 30,000 words long. We'll bring you the immediate findings in a tick, but you'll need to stick with us while we wade through the rest of it.

    Rest assured, our political team are reading as I write, and we'll bring you the detail as soon as we can.

  13. Report scheduled to come at 09:00

    Chris Mason
    Political editor

    I hear the timings are as I was told yesterday.

    The plan remains in place in parliament that the report into Boris Johnson will be published at or around 9am.

  14. Not long to go now

    Emma Owen
    Live reporter

    It's breakfast time for the early team, so we're having a bit of a switch around of staff, and I'm taking over the editing of this page.

    We're expecting the report to drop at around 9am. We're also expecting to hear from Boris Johnson.

    It goes without saying that our political editor Chris Mason will be on hand to share his thoughts as soon as he forms them, and we'll have chief political correspondent Nick Eardley on hand too.

    So there'll be lots to read and watch.

    If you haven't had your breakfast yet - grab it and settle in.

  15. No word from Johnson yet

    Johnson declines to answer reporters on morning jog

    Boris Johnson has been out on a run near his home in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell in Oxfordshire this morning.

    "Is this the end Mr Johnson, have you run out of road?” shouted one reporter as he passed by.

    Johnson waved to the cameras but did not respond to any questions.

  16. Conservative Party left picking up the pieces - Ellwood

    Tobias Ellwood in July 2022PA Media

    Senior Tory MP and former government minister Tobias Ellwood has been speaking this morning ahead of the publication of the report.

    He says support for Boris Johnson in the party is now "changing before our very eyes" into "disappointment" and "anger", and suggested his chances of plotting a comeback now looked less possible.

    "Johnson's confidence stemmed from the huge support he received from the party base," Ellwood tells Sky News.

    "He was loved by members across the country but this is changing before our very eyes.

    "There's now disappointment, even anger that the party, the activists are left to pick up the pieces".

    He says he hopes the publication of the report would allow MPs to move on from the "public pantomime" which is distracting from the key issues.

  17. Sunak refuses to discuss report

    Rishi Sunak on an immigration raid in north-west London on 15 JuneReuters

    Rishi Sunak has been at Wembley Police Station this morning, joining officers on an immigration raid before fielding questions from reporters.

    But most of the questions were actually about Boris Johnson and the report, rather than his government's immigration policies.

    Sunak says he is focused on delivering on the priorities of the British people, adding he will not be commenting on the report before it is published.

    "You are talking about a report I have not seen and it would not be right for me to comment," Sunak says.

    The report is due to be published at around 09:00 BST.

  18. Johnson calls for committee member to resign

    Sir Bernard Jenkin

    Yesterday, Boris Johnson called for a Privileges Committee member to resign over claims the he had breached Covid restrictions.

    The Guido Fawkes website alleges that Sir Bernard Jenkin, a senior Conservative MP, attended a drinks party for his wife's birthday in the House of Commons in December 2020, when social mixing outside of households or support bubbles was banned in London.

    Having contacted several people involved in the allegations, the BBC has not been able to independently verify the claims.

    Sir Bernard, Lady Jenkin and the alleged host of the gathering have been approached for comment.

    If the reports were true, Sir Bernard was "guilty of flagrant and monstrous hypocrisy", Johnson said.

    Read the full story here.

  19. I trust Parliament but I am not sure I trust the Privileges Committee - Fabricant

    Sir Michael Fabricant MPPA Media

    Sir Michael Fabricant, a member of the Conservative Party appeared on Radio 4’s Today programme earlier, and says he doesn't think that Boris Johnson knowingly misled Parliament.

    He thinks Johnson was actually operating within the rules.

    "I trust Parliament but I am not sure if I trust the Privileges Committee. I actually sat in when Boris Johnson gave evidence," he says.

    He also accused some the members of the committee of not being impartial:

    "I looked at the members of the committee, some of them behaved in a totally proper way. Others were pulling faces, indicating they didn’t agree with what Boris was saying.

    “I was quite shocked actually by their behaviour. Justice has to be seen to be done but I am not convinced the committee were demonstrating their impartiality."

  20. What is the Privileges Committee?

    Boris Johnson speaking to Privileges CommitteeUK Parliament/PA

    The Commons Privileges Committee is a group of MPs from several political parties tasked with investigating possible contempt of Parliament or breaches of the parliamentary privileges enjoyed by MPs.

    The committee can only consider matters referred to it by the House of Commons and, having conducted an inquiry, can only issue a report setting out its findings. It is then for the House to approve any recommended sanctions.

    Of its seven members, four are currently Conservatives, two are from the Labour Party, and one is from the SNP.

    You can read more about the Privileges Committee here