Downing Street pulls plan to delay vote on partygate investigation

No 10 has pulled a plan to delay a vote on ordering an investigation into whether Boris Johnson misled Parliament over lockdown parties.

MPs are now due to vote on a Labour plan for a Commons committee to investigate his past comments about Whitehall gatherings.

Tory MPs will get a free vote on the motion.

This means it is likely to be supported and that the PM will be investigated over whether he misled MPs.

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Under Labour's plan, the Commons privileges committee would launch an investigation into whether the PM misled Parliament after the Met police probe finishes.

On Wednesday night, the government said it would be ordering Tory MPs to vote for an amendment to Labour's plan.

The amendment would have pushed back a vote on authorising such a probe until after the inquiry by civil servant Sue Gray had concluded as well.

But on Thursday, it then suddenly withdrew the amendment, after some Tory MPs had threatened to withhold their support for it.

Defending the U-turn, Mr Johnson said there was "not a lot I can say" until the Met and Sue Gray investigations have concluded, and it was "sensible to wait".

Speaking to the BBC during an official trip to India, he denied he wanted to restrict parliamentary scrutiny - and he would be able to give a "fuller account" of his conduct once the other investigations have concluded.

'Shambles'

But Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner said: "This is humiliating for Conservative MPs who were being pressured to vote for the government's cover up amendment.

"The government knew they couldn't win this... Tory MPs should do the right thing, respect the sacrifices that their constituents made during the pandemic, and vote in the national interest."

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey described the situation as an "utter Conservative shambles".

The prime minister, along with his wife Carrie and the Chancellor Rishi Sunak, was fined for breaking Covid laws at a June 2020 birthday party for him in No 10.

Mr Johnson had previously told MPs no lockdown laws were broken in Downing Street - and now opposition parties are accusing him of misleading Parliament.

Mr Johnson has denied knowingly misleading MPs - a charge that is a resigning matter under the ministerial rulebook.

Mr Johnson is known to have attended at least two further events of the 12 being investigated by police, meaning he could be fined again.

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.

One senior Conservative MP says the government whips "lost their nerve" in the face of so many rebels.

And several Tory MPs tell me it was inevitable the PM would be investigated and that Downing Street was crazy to try to stop it.

Ahead of a vote on Labour's motion later, the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford called the prime minister a liar and urged Conservative MPs to support an investigation.

Conservative MP - and long-standing critic of the PM - William Wragg said he would vote for the Labour amendment as it was "utterly depressing to be asked to defend the indefensible".

However, his colleague Sir Peter Bottomley argued MPs should delay voting on an inquiry until all the facts were available.

Former minister Steve Baker said he had been "deeply moved" on Tuesday when the prime minister apologised for breaking the rules, however, he said Mr Johnson's contrition had "only lasted as long as it takes to get out of the headmaster's study".

The High Wycombe MP said that "wasn't good enough" and that the prime minster should "know the gig is up".