Commons Privileges Committee: When is Boris Johnson giving evidence? How to watch Partygate contempt probe

The Commons Privileges Committee is set to hear from Boris Johnson this week amid claims he lied to Parliament over the partygate scandal.

The former Prime Minister accepted an invitation to give evidence – with his appearance set to come following an interim report by the cross-party committee which found there was significant evidence he misled MPs over lockdown parties.

The session will be held in public and includes questioning from all of the committee’s members – four Conservative MPs, two Labour and one SNP, with Boris Johnson able to provide written evidence to the inquiry setting out his response as well as giving oral evidence.

A formal finding that Johnson deliberately misled parliament could result in him being suspended. If the MPs believe he did mislead the House, they will consider whether it was “reckless or intentional” and amounted to a contempt of Parliament.

Allies of Mr Johnson claim that, despite his insistence he will be vindicated, the process against him could amount to a “witch hunt”.

Here’s everything you need to know.

What is the Commons Privileges Committee?

The Privileges Committee is a cross-party group of seven MPs, comprising of four Conservative, two Labour and one SNP member.

The Committee is currently chaired by Labour’s Harriet Harman and is appointed by the House of Commons to consider specific matters relating to privileges referred to it by the House.

The House of Commons approved a motion to appoint Harman to the Committee on the understanding that she would take the role of Chair. She was then elected as Chair unanimously by the Committee’s membership.

Who else sits on the Committee?

Labour grandee Harriet Harman is chair of the Privileges Committee but it is made up of cross-party MPs.

Sir Bernard Jenkin is another veteran MP. A Conservative, he has been in Parliament since 1992.

A veteran Tory Eurosceptic and chairman of the powerful Liaison Committee, he was a critic of Mr Johnson’s handling of the Chris Pincher affair and is an often vocal voice from the backbenches.

Sir Charles Walker, another member of the committee, is standing down at the next election. Another independently minded backbencher, he made headlines last year for his emotional criticism of the chaos that engulfed the final days of the Truss administration.

Conservative MP Andy Carter, who was elected in 2019 to represent Warrington South, is another member of the committee.

Alberto Costa, elected in 2015 for South Leicestershire, is the final Tory member of the committee.

Labour’s Yvonne Fovargue, an MP since 2010, has held a number of shadow ministerial roles during her time in Parliament. She has been a member of the committee since September 2021.

Allan Dorans is the sole SNP member. An MP since 2019, he represents Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock.

Why is the Privileges Committee examining Boris Johnson?

The Privileges Committee is examining evidence around at least four occasions when Mr Johnson may have misled MPs with his assurances to the Commons that lockdown rules were followed.

He is expected to highlight previously undisclosed WhatsApp messages from senior civil servants and members of his No 10 team showing he had relied on their advice when he made his statements to Parliament.

He will also publish messages which show other senior figures in Downing Street believed the gatherings were covered by the “workplace exemption” in the lockdown rules.

If the MPs believe he did mislead the House, they will consider whether it was “reckless or intentional” and amounted to a contempt of Parliament.

The committee will decide whether Mr Johnson misled the Commons with his denials of lockdown rule-breaking in No 10 at the height of the pandemic.

What time is Boris Johnson giving evidence to the Privileges Committee?

Boris Johnson to give Partygate evidence from 2pm on March 22.

How to watch Boris Johnson give evidence at Privileges Committee

Boris Johnson will be quizzed on whether he misled parliament over Partygate by the committee with viewers able to watch on the parliament website HERE

The committee will be shown on major news channels.

What will Boris Johnson be asked?

The committee has been clear that the purpose of the inquiry is to consider whether Mr Johnson misled Parliament, rather than comb over the various details of the partygate furore.

This is likely to see questions revolve around some of the written evidence contained in the committee’s interim report.

That includes WhatsApp messages given to the inquiry showing advisers “struggling” with how parties were within the rules, with one conceding an excuse “blows another great gaping hole in the PM’s account”.

The committee has said: “The evidence strongly suggests that breaches of guidance would have been obvious to Mr Johnson at the time he was at the gatherings.”

Such a claim is likely to be a central part of proceedings on Wednesday.

What is Boris Johnson’s defence?

Mr Johnson has always protested his innocence, rejecting any suggestion that he “knowingly or recklessly misled Parliament”.

He set out his core defence in a 52-page dossier, in which he stressed that he trusted the assurances of key aides and said that “hindsight is a wonderful thing”.

It is a defence that refers to the “cramped” workplace of No 10 as well as his own belief that no guidance or rules were being breached at any gathering.

Mr Johnson placed great stock in both the assurances he had received as prime minister and the fact that no-one around had expressed concerns themselves, while also making much of the fact that there is no evidence that he ever received warnings about breaches of guidance.

After an interim report by the committee earlier this month said evidence strongly suggested breaches of coronavirus rules would have been “obvious” to the then-prime minister, Mr Johnson claimed it was “clear” that he had not committed a contempt of Parliament.

He said there was “no evidence in the report that I knowingly or recklessly misled Parliament” or failed to update it in a timely manner.

Mr Johnson has also sought to cast doubt on the findings of Sue Gray’s report on partygate, after she quit the civil service because she intends to take up a role as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff.

Allies of Mr Johnson claim that, despite his insistence he will be vindicated, the process against him could amount to a “witch hunt”.

They have also sought to cast doubt on the impartiality of Ms Harman after a social media post last year indicated she believed Mr Johnson had misled Parliament.

Former minister Conor Burns, an ally of Mr Johnson, said: “Boris Johnson’s contention is that what he told the House of Commons was, to the best information supplied to him, true when he told that to Parliament, and I welcome the fact that he is going to bring forward evidence to back up that.

“It’s not unusual, anyone who has appeared as a minister in the House of Commons knows that you rely very heavily on briefing that you’re given.”

Who is Mr Johnson’s barrister?

Lord Pannick KC, one of the most widely-respected barristers in the UK, is in Mr Johnson’s corner for the encounter with the Privileges Committee.

No stranger to high-profile cases, he led the Article 50 cases against the Government at the Supreme Court in the wake of the Brexit vote.

He has led Mr Johnson’s bid to prove he did not “intentionally or recklessly” mislead MPs.

Is the Privileges Committee final? Can it be appealed?

The committee will publish its findings on whether Mr Johnson committed a contempt of Parliament and make a recommendation on any punishment, but the ultimate decision will fall to the full House of Commons.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he will not seek to influence MPs on the committee and is expected to grant a free vote in the Commons on any sanction that may be recommended.

Could Boris Johnson be removed as an MP?

If the formal result of the hearing was that Boris Johnson deliberately misled parliament, it could result in him being suspended. Under parliamentary rules, if there is an exclusion of 14 days or longer, the constituents of the MP could seek a recall petition to remove him as their MP. This could apply to Boris Johnson if he would found to have have been guilty by the committee.

Johnson, who is the MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip had a majority of just under 7,000 at the last general election.

How much has been spent on Boris Johnson’s legal bills?

An estimated £220,000 of taxpayers’ money has been allocated for Mr Johnson’s legal bills and allies insisted he expected his position to be “vindicated” after submitting a “detailed and compelling” account of his case.

Will the Committee continue the inquiry if Boris Johnson resigns?

The current inquiry remains referred to the Committee regardless of any decision to resign, including if Mr Johnson decides to resign as an MP.

When else has the Privileges Committee met?

The most recent case of alleged contempt considered by the Committee was relating to Dominic Cummings in 2018 with Cummings found to be in contempt of Parliament. The most recent investigation into an alleged contempt by an MP was into Justin Tomlinson in 2016 who was suspended for two days for leaking a select committee report.