It's a crying shame PM hasn't turned up - Labour MP
.Copyright: .
Labour MP Jess Phillips says after the report she felt relieved the system is "bigger than this man who thinks he's bigger than the world" and adds "the system has fought back".
She says "it's a crying shame that in this moment... the prime minister of our country cannot even express how he would vote if he were to turn up today".
Phillips adds that democracy has been degraded and says "it's important to fight for it".
She continues by saying she "cannot believe" the PM "couldn't take five seconds out of parroting his pledges to tell us what he thinks should happen".
Conservative MPs changed minds on report
Ione Wells
Political correspondent
I’ve been chatting to a couple of Tory MPs - some of whom
seem to have changed their minds over the weekend.
A couple told me last week
they were planning on not voting at all, if it goes to one.
Now, some of those
same MPs say they will vote for the report if given the opportunity.
One tells
me they feel it has become a “very symbolic” vote - both due to feedback
they’ve had from constituents but also given some of the principles behind it.
Principles that were laid bare in the Commons today by Tory grandees like Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May.
Tory MP says he's 'so over Boris'
Conservative MP Bob Seely says he understands points made by some of his colleagues but he will support the report and vote for it.
Seely says he's "so over Boris and I'm pretty over lockdown as well".
We are in danger of making Westminster look "small and petty", he says, adding that a wiser leader would have "questioned his own rules and not sought to get around them".
He says the "scandal" of lockdown and Covid is not to do with wine and cake in Downing Street, but actually about whether lockdown worked and its cost in terms of lives, learning, sanity, money and truth.
What's this all about again?
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been investigated over his claims that all Covid rules were followed while he was in Downing Street, following details of parties which emerged in the media in late 2021.
A committee of MPs, called the Privileges Committee, were tasked with investigating whether he deliberately misled MPs.
The report, published on Thursday, found he had - and also had “personal knowledge” of rule breaking.
Johnson resigned as an MP last week, publicly attacking the committee before it published its report.
This led to the committee increasing the recommended sanction against him to a 90-day suspension - but of course he'd already stood down by that point.
MPs are debating the report now.
I've never read a report so damning - Labour MP
.Copyright: .
Labour MP Maria Eagle says that in her 26 years in the House of Commons, she's never read a report so damning from the Privileges Committee.
"We must draw a line in the sand to stop ministers thinking that they can lie to Parliament", whether they're junior ministers or the prime minister, she says.
She adds: "I'd rather hoped to see the prime minister and far more of the Cabinet here because it should matter to them."
Eagle continues by saying the prime minister's absence doesn't send the right signal that the House takes the matter seriously enough.
Honour of Parliament at stake - Lib Dem MP
A little while ago, Liberal Democrats MP Christine Jardine told MPs she believes this vote should be above party politics.
She says former Prime Minister Boris Johnson showed "contempt" for the public and undermined trust in democracy by attacking the Privileges Committee.
Jardine added that their constituents will be looking to them to recognise the sacrifices they made during the pandemic and uphold standards in public life.
"The honour of this house and of this democracy is at stake and we can't risk it," she concludes.
MP asks fellow Tory if he'll force a vote
Julian Lewis asks his fellow Tory MP Sir Bill Cash whether he'll divide the House so that a vote can take place.
Lewis says: "Given that he's so hostile to the report of the committee, will he do people like me a favour and divide the house today so we can have the opportunity to cast our vote?"
Cash responds by saying he's not in control over whether there will be an amendment and says somebody may decide that they will divide the House, but he's leaving that as an open question for now.
It's worth remembering that it's unclear whether there will even be a vote - we have more details on that here.
WATCH: Shaun Bailey apologises 'unreservedly' for Partygate video
Video content
Video caption: Bailey on Partygate video: I apologise again unreservedlyBailey on Partygate video: I apologise again unreservedly
Let's turn away from the Commons for a second and take a look at what Shaun Bailey - the former Conservative candidate for London mayor - said earlier when approached by reporters.
Bailey, who sits on the London Assembly and was named in Boris Johnson’s honours list, said he was “very upset” about the video, and he had left the gathering before it was taken in 2020.
He said that it would be a “silly person who wouldn’t say there’s a lot of work to be done” for the Tories after further Partygate revelations.
Analysis
Vote would make it clear who backs Johnson
Iain Watson
Political correspondent
If no-one formally opposes the Privileges Committee report,
it will go through on the nod without a recorded vote.
Conservative MP Julian Lewis says he himself can’t ask for the report to be
put to a recorded vote because he agrees with it.
But as he wants it recorded that he backs it, he asks
his "old friend" Sir Bill Cash – a Tory MP who has spoken against the report – to call
for a "division".
This would mean MPs would go through the voting lobbies and it would be clear who backed Boris Johnson and who didn’t.
Apart from those who choose to abstain or - like the prime
minister - don’t turn up at all.
PM Rishi Sunak is at a charity fundraiser this evening.
Committee has lowered the bar - Tory MP
Iain Watson
Political correspondent
Veteran Conservative MP Sir Bill Cash – who has said he wants to vote
against the report – has accused the Privileges Committee of lowering the bar for reprimanding ministers.
He says a 1997 resolution of the House refers to "knowingly
misleading" the House, not just misleading it.
In other words, intention has to be proved.
But Harriet Harman, who leads the committee, previously dismissed this objection in
practice because her committee believed that Johnson did deliberately
mislead MPs.
Cash, though, argues another point which was also
raised in the Owen Paterson case, that lawyers should be allowed to represent
MPs accused of wrongdoing by fellow MPs and be able to cross examine
witnesses.
Ian McKellen watches debate - with added opera glasses
BBCCopyright: BBC
A bit of celebrity spotting now - don't say we don't treat you - actor Ian McKellen was seen in the Commons watching some of this debate.
McKellen watched the proceedings from the MPs' guests gallery, occasionally using a pair of opera glasses.
Rees-Mogg says officials landed Johnson in it
Iain Watson
Political correspondent
Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg’s defence of Boris Johnson is unsurprising – though his contribution is notable by the rarity of similar pro-Johnson speeches on the Tory benches.
He feels he has evidence that officials landed Boris Johnson in it.
Mogg says there was a cross-government "line to take" - doled out to all ministers to help them respond to Partygate - which said the rules were followed "at all times".
So his argument seems to be that rather than deliberately misleading, the ex-PM was simply parroting civil service and communications advice.
Rees-Mogg defends criticism of report
.Copyright: .
Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg has just given a lengthy speech defending Boris Johnson and criticising the report for attempting to determine what the former prime minister thought, rather than what he said.
Rees-Mogg - who was knighted by Johnson last week - accuses the Privileges Committee of misinterpreting the facts, adding that all ministers were told to tell the house "all rules were followed" in Downing Street.
He then goes after the committee for putting in place a "trivial" sanction of denying him a parliamentary pass, as punishment for Johnson being critical of them.
Much of his speech is devoted to emphasising how it is legitimate to comment about the committee's findings, accusing them of acting like they are in "communist China" and above criticism.
Rees-Mogg was one of Johnson's allies who previously accused the committee of being a "kangaroo court".
Analysis
Tory endorsements of Partygate report
Ione Wells
Political correspondent
While a handful of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's supporters have spoken out against the report, a significant number of Tory MPs have turned up to show their support for it.
These include high profile figures in the party - like fellow former PM Theresa May, senior Conservative MP Andrea Leadsom and the chair of the Defence Committee Tobias Ellwood.
The more Tories that do, the more awkward it becomes for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for choosing on the contrary to dodge the debate and vote - saying he doesn't want to influence MPs.
So far Penny Mordaunt is the only cabinet minister who has said she will vote for the report - should it go to a vote.
I suspect opposition parties may well challenge Rishi Sunak at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday for not taking a stand either way, after promising to lead a government of "integrity".
Report key to restoring standards in public life - Tory MP
.Copyright: .
Conservative MP John Baron says the reason this report matters is the public "went through real pain" in lockdown "at the instigation and compulsion" of then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Baron says he couldn't say goodbye to his dying mother, noting "many people have similar experiences" through the pandemic.
He adds agreeing with the report is essential to restoring standards in public life and the "centrality of truthfulness to our parliamentary system".
Speeches limited to 10 minutes
Speeches have been limited to 10 minutes by Dame Eleanor Laing, the Commons deputy speaker, who says that many more MPs want to speak about the report.
As a result, we don't know exactly what time the vote will take place, but it seems a couples of hours away at least.
It is also not clear if a recorded vote - called a division in Parliament - will take place at all, or it will go through without objection.
What we can say for definite, is it all needs to be over by 22:00 BST.
For anyone who wants to watch along with us, remember you can do so by clicking the play icon at the top of this page.
Watch: Rees-Mogg and Harman clash
A little earlier, there was a bit of back and forth between Harriet Harman and Johnson supporter Jacob Rees-Mogg. This was over Harman's role as chair of the Privileges Committee's report.
The Tory MP brought up some critical comments she made on Boris Johnson's remarks ahead of taking over.
For her part, the Labour MP told Rees-Mogg she asked the government if it would have confidence in her and offered to step aside if not.
You can watch their full exchange below:
Video content
Video caption: Partygate: Harman offered to step aside as "perception matters"Partygate: Harman offered to step aside as "perception matters"
Johnson brought himself down - Labour MP
BBCCopyright: BBC
Labour MP Chris Bryant says Johnson believes he's been brought down by a witch-hunt, but says that the former prime minister brought himself down.
In May 2022 Bryant confirmed he would step down as chair of the Privileges Committee to allow the inquiry to go ahead into whether Johnson misled Parliament over lockdown gatherings.
"Let's face it, Boris Johnson lied," Bryant says.
Bryant continues by saying the public thought the big truth of the pandemic was that "we're all in this together" and goes on to say that Johnson "deliberately, intentionally and with knowledge of forethought sought to cover his tracks".
"This house feels he should be ashamed of himself... but I fear he remains completely shameless," Bryant adds.
Will there even be a vote?
Anthony Devlin/PA WireCopyright: Anthony Devlin/PA Wire
It's a good question - and in true Westminster fashion, it’s not straightforward.
Essentially, if no one in the chamber shouts "no" to oppose a motion approving the report, it will be passed without a division, meaning the votes of individual MPs will not be recorded.
Boris Johnson himself has asked his supporters not to vote against the report - though he can't stop people from doing so.
Opposition parties are all expected to vote to endorse the report, which also calls for Johnson to be stripped of the parliamentary pass he would normally be entitled to as a former MP.
Downing Street has yet to say how Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will vote, or even if he will take part.
Johnson not accountable for interpretation of his words, ally says
Boris Johnson ally Jake Berry earlier intervened in Lia Nici's remarks, to suggest the report "seeks to go much further" than what the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the House of Commons.
Berry says Johnson "cannot be held responsible for what people thought he may have meant", citing a section of the committee's report.
"He should be held responsible, if this report is to hold any water, on what he said," the Tory MP, who Johnson gave a knighthood, said.
Thanking Berry for his intervention, Nici says she doesn't believe the report was impartial or written in an impartial manner.
Live Reporting
Edited by Dulcie Lee and Jack Burgess
All times stated are UK
It's a crying shame PM hasn't turned up - Labour MP
Labour MP Jess Phillips says after the report she felt relieved the system is "bigger than this man who thinks he's bigger than the world" and adds "the system has fought back".
She says "it's a crying shame that in this moment... the prime minister of our country cannot even express how he would vote if he were to turn up today".
Phillips adds that democracy has been degraded and says "it's important to fight for it".
She continues by saying she "cannot believe" the PM "couldn't take five seconds out of parroting his pledges to tell us what he thinks should happen".
Conservative MPs changed minds on report
Ione Wells
Political correspondent
I’ve been chatting to a couple of Tory MPs - some of whom seem to have changed their minds over the weekend.
A couple told me last week they were planning on not voting at all, if it goes to one.
Now, some of those same MPs say they will vote for the report if given the opportunity.
One tells me they feel it has become a “very symbolic” vote - both due to feedback they’ve had from constituents but also given some of the principles behind it.
Principles that were laid bare in the Commons today by Tory grandees like Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May.
Tory MP says he's 'so over Boris'
Conservative MP Bob Seely says he understands points made by some of his colleagues but he will support the report and vote for it.
Seely says he's "so over Boris and I'm pretty over lockdown as well".
We are in danger of making Westminster look "small and petty", he says, adding that a wiser leader would have "questioned his own rules and not sought to get around them".
He says the "scandal" of lockdown and Covid is not to do with wine and cake in Downing Street, but actually about whether lockdown worked and its cost in terms of lives, learning, sanity, money and truth.
What's this all about again?
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been investigated over his claims that all Covid rules were followed while he was in Downing Street, following details of parties which emerged in the media in late 2021.
A committee of MPs, called the Privileges Committee, were tasked with investigating whether he deliberately misled MPs.
The report, published on Thursday, found he had - and also had “personal knowledge” of rule breaking.
Johnson resigned as an MP last week, publicly attacking the committee before it published its report.
This led to the committee increasing the recommended sanction against him to a 90-day suspension - but of course he'd already stood down by that point.
MPs are debating the report now.
I've never read a report so damning - Labour MP
Labour MP Maria Eagle says that in her 26 years in the House of Commons, she's never read a report so damning from the Privileges Committee.
"We must draw a line in the sand to stop ministers thinking that they can lie to Parliament", whether they're junior ministers or the prime minister, she says.
She adds: "I'd rather hoped to see the prime minister and far more of the Cabinet here because it should matter to them."
Eagle continues by saying the prime minister's absence doesn't send the right signal that the House takes the matter seriously enough.
Honour of Parliament at stake - Lib Dem MP
A little while ago, Liberal Democrats MP Christine Jardine told MPs she believes this vote should be above party politics.
She says former Prime Minister Boris Johnson showed "contempt" for the public and undermined trust in democracy by attacking the Privileges Committee.
Jardine added that their constituents will be looking to them to recognise the sacrifices they made during the pandemic and uphold standards in public life.
"The honour of this house and of this democracy is at stake and we can't risk it," she concludes.
MP asks fellow Tory if he'll force a vote
Julian Lewis asks his fellow Tory MP Sir Bill Cash whether he'll divide the House so that a vote can take place.
Lewis says: "Given that he's so hostile to the report of the committee, will he do people like me a favour and divide the house today so we can have the opportunity to cast our vote?"
Cash responds by saying he's not in control over whether there will be an amendment and says somebody may decide that they will divide the House, but he's leaving that as an open question for now.
It's worth remembering that it's unclear whether there will even be a vote - we have more details on that here.
WATCH: Shaun Bailey apologises 'unreservedly' for Partygate video
Video content
Let's turn away from the Commons for a second and take a look at what Shaun Bailey - the former Conservative candidate for London mayor - said earlier when approached by reporters.
Bailey said he "apologises again unreservedly" after a video surfaced of his staff partying in lockdown.
Bailey, who sits on the London Assembly and was named in Boris Johnson’s honours list, said he was “very upset” about the video, and he had left the gathering before it was taken in 2020.
He said that it would be a “silly person who wouldn’t say there’s a lot of work to be done” for the Tories after further Partygate revelations.
Vote would make it clear who backs Johnson
Iain Watson
Political correspondent
If no-one formally opposes the Privileges Committee report, it will go through on the nod without a recorded vote.
Conservative MP Julian Lewis says he himself can’t ask for the report to be put to a recorded vote because he agrees with it.
But as he wants it recorded that he backs it, he asks his "old friend" Sir Bill Cash – a Tory MP who has spoken against the report – to call for a "division".
This would mean MPs would go through the voting lobbies and it would be clear who backed Boris Johnson and who didn’t.
Apart from those who choose to abstain or - like the prime minister - don’t turn up at all.
PM Rishi Sunak is at a charity fundraiser this evening.
Committee has lowered the bar - Tory MP
Iain Watson
Political correspondent
Veteran Conservative MP Sir Bill Cash – who has said he wants to vote against the report – has accused the Privileges Committee of lowering the bar for reprimanding ministers.
He says a 1997 resolution of the House refers to "knowingly misleading" the House, not just misleading it.
In other words, intention has to be proved.
But Harriet Harman, who leads the committee, previously dismissed this objection in practice because her committee believed that Johnson did deliberately mislead MPs.
Cash, though, argues another point which was also raised in the Owen Paterson case, that lawyers should be allowed to represent MPs accused of wrongdoing by fellow MPs and be able to cross examine witnesses.
Ian McKellen watches debate - with added opera glasses
A bit of celebrity spotting now - don't say we don't treat you - actor Ian McKellen was seen in the Commons watching some of this debate.
McKellen watched the proceedings from the MPs' guests gallery, occasionally using a pair of opera glasses.
Rees-Mogg says officials landed Johnson in it
Iain Watson
Political correspondent
Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg’s defence of Boris Johnson is unsurprising – though his contribution is notable by the rarity of similar pro-Johnson speeches on the Tory benches.
He feels he has evidence that officials landed Boris Johnson in it.
Mogg says there was a cross-government "line to take" - doled out to all ministers to help them respond to Partygate - which said the rules were followed "at all times".
So his argument seems to be that rather than deliberately misleading, the ex-PM was simply parroting civil service and communications advice.
Rees-Mogg defends criticism of report
Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg has just given a lengthy speech defending Boris Johnson and criticising the report for attempting to determine what the former prime minister thought, rather than what he said.
Rees-Mogg - who was knighted by Johnson last week - accuses the Privileges Committee of misinterpreting the facts, adding that all ministers were told to tell the house "all rules were followed" in Downing Street.
He then goes after the committee for putting in place a "trivial" sanction of denying him a parliamentary pass, as punishment for Johnson being critical of them.
Much of his speech is devoted to emphasising how it is legitimate to comment about the committee's findings, accusing them of acting like they are in "communist China" and above criticism.
Rees-Mogg was one of Johnson's allies who previously accused the committee of being a "kangaroo court".
Tory endorsements of Partygate report
Ione Wells
Political correspondent
While a handful of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's supporters have spoken out against the report, a significant number of Tory MPs have turned up to show their support for it.
These include high profile figures in the party - like fellow former PM Theresa May, senior Conservative MP Andrea Leadsom and the chair of the Defence Committee Tobias Ellwood.
The more Tories that do, the more awkward it becomes for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for choosing on the contrary to dodge the debate and vote - saying he doesn't want to influence MPs.
So far Penny Mordaunt is the only cabinet minister who has said she will vote for the report - should it go to a vote.
I suspect opposition parties may well challenge Rishi Sunak at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday for not taking a stand either way, after promising to lead a government of "integrity".
Report key to restoring standards in public life - Tory MP
Conservative MP John Baron says the reason this report matters is the public "went through real pain" in lockdown "at the instigation and compulsion" of then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Baron says he couldn't say goodbye to his dying mother, noting "many people have similar experiences" through the pandemic.
He adds agreeing with the report is essential to restoring standards in public life and the "centrality of truthfulness to our parliamentary system".
Speeches limited to 10 minutes
Speeches have been limited to 10 minutes by Dame Eleanor Laing, the Commons deputy speaker, who says that many more MPs want to speak about the report.
As a result, we don't know exactly what time the vote will take place, but it seems a couples of hours away at least.
It is also not clear if a recorded vote - called a division in Parliament - will take place at all, or it will go through without objection.
What we can say for definite, is it all needs to be over by 22:00 BST.
For anyone who wants to watch along with us, remember you can do so by clicking the play icon at the top of this page.
Watch: Rees-Mogg and Harman clash
A little earlier, there was a bit of back and forth between Harriet Harman and Johnson supporter Jacob Rees-Mogg. This was over Harman's role as chair of the Privileges Committee's report.
The Tory MP brought up some critical comments she made on Boris Johnson's remarks ahead of taking over.
For her part, the Labour MP told Rees-Mogg she asked the government if it would have confidence in her and offered to step aside if not.
You can watch their full exchange below:
Video content
Johnson brought himself down - Labour MP
Labour MP Chris Bryant says Johnson believes he's been brought down by a witch-hunt, but says that the former prime minister brought himself down.
In May 2022 Bryant confirmed he would step down as chair of the Privileges Committee to allow the inquiry to go ahead into whether Johnson misled Parliament over lockdown gatherings.
"Let's face it, Boris Johnson lied," Bryant says.
Bryant continues by saying the public thought the big truth of the pandemic was that "we're all in this together" and goes on to say that Johnson "deliberately, intentionally and with knowledge of forethought sought to cover his tracks".
"This house feels he should be ashamed of himself... but I fear he remains completely shameless," Bryant adds.
Will there even be a vote?
It's a good question - and in true Westminster fashion, it’s not straightforward.
Essentially, if no one in the chamber shouts "no" to oppose a motion approving the report, it will be passed without a division, meaning the votes of individual MPs will not be recorded.
Boris Johnson himself has asked his supporters not to vote against the report - though he can't stop people from doing so.
Opposition parties are all expected to vote to endorse the report, which also calls for Johnson to be stripped of the parliamentary pass he would normally be entitled to as a former MP.
Downing Street has yet to say how Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will vote, or even if he will take part.
Johnson not accountable for interpretation of his words, ally says
Boris Johnson ally Jake Berry earlier intervened in Lia Nici's remarks, to suggest the report "seeks to go much further" than what the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the House of Commons.
Berry says Johnson "cannot be held responsible for what people thought he may have meant", citing a section of the committee's report.
"He should be held responsible, if this report is to hold any water, on what he said," the Tory MP, who Johnson gave a knighthood, said.
Thanking Berry for his intervention, Nici says she doesn't believe the report was impartial or written in an impartial manner.