Boris Johnson was dealt two humiliating blows in parliament yesterday as he was forced to plead "hand on heart" that he had not lied to MPs over Partygate while he also failed to lead a Commons revolt against Rishi Sunak.
During an occasionally bad-tempered three-hour grilling, the former prime minister defended the decision to hold parties inside No 10 during the pandemic - including one attended by his wife and his interior designer - saying they had been "necessary" for work purposes.
It also emerged that Mr Johnson had been explicitly warned against claiming that all Covid guidance had been followed - but did so anyway.
Meanwhile, his efforts to undermine Mr Sunak's post-Brexit agreement with the EU ended in abject failure as a vote on the Windsor Framework passed the Commons by a mammoth majority of 486. Only 22 Tory MPs rebelled against the compromise to end the Northern Ireland protocol row, in what will be seen as another blow to Mr Johnson's crumbling authority.
It came as Mr Johnson:
said he would have been "utterly insane" to knowingly lie to parliament, after swearing an oath on the Bible
described holding leaving drinks for No 10 staff during lockdown as "essential"
said staff in No 10 "didn't touch each other's pens" during the pandemic, but admitted that "of course" they had passed each other drinks at events
This story is from the March 23, 2023 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the March 23, 2023 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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