Birmingham, UK
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has admitted he misled Parliament with his statements that COVID-19 rules and guidelines were being followed in full at his controversial Downing Street parties.
However, in his 52-page defence, submitted to Parliamentary Committee and published on Tuesday, 21 March, Johnson said his remarks were made “in good faith and on the basis of what he genuinely knew and believed at the time”.
Partygate was the name given to the scandal revealed in the press of dozens of parties held during the COVID-19 pandemic between 2020 and 2021 in the Prime Minister’s Office and government departments. At first, the former prime minister categorically denied the parties or his presence in them.
He added, “I did not knowingly or negligently mislead the House of Representatives on December 1, 2021, or December 8, 2021, or any other date. I would not have dreamed of doing that.”
Johnson said he trusted his advisors.
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“I was the country’s prime minister, working day and night to manage the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Obviously it was reasonable for me to rely on the assurances I received from my advisors,” he said.
The commission previously said it should have been clear to Johnson that he was breaking the rules by attending or hosting parties during the lockdown. The committee is made up of seven MPs, including four Conservatives, two from the opposition Labor Party and one MP from the Scottish National Party.
The former prime minister will face the committee in a televised grilling session on Wednesday.
Johnson was expelled by MPs from his own party after admitting to attending or throwing parties where the rules were broken.
* Aisha Sandoval Alaguna contributed to this note.
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