Rule breaches 'obvious' to Johnson, says inquiry

Mr Johnson said a mid-pandemic party in No 10 was “probably the most unsocially-distanced gathering in the UK right now”, according to written evidence.

EVIDENCE strongly suggests breaches of coronavirus rules would have been “obvious” to Boris Johnson during partygate, the inquiry into whether he lied to MPs has said.

The cross-party Privileges Committee said the Commons may have been misled multiple times as they set up a live showdown with the former prime minister for later this month.

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