The question of what should happen to Boris Johnson in respect of partygate has moved from being a legal one (namely whether he would be issued with any fixed-penalty notices) to a political one. On 21 April, having received at least one fine, the Prime Minister was referred to the Privileges Committee by MPs, without any opposition from Conservatives. When that committee meets to consider the issue, it will have to determine whether the Prime Minister misled the House of Commons by claiming, among other things, that no Covid rules were broken at Downing Street and that “the guidance was followed and the rules were followed at all times”.
The committee will not be able to start work straight away, as it is required to wait until the inquiries being conducted by the Metropolitan Police have been concluded. It may also wish to have access to the final, unredacted report into the parties by Sue Gray, a civil servant.
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