Johnson 'demolished' by Partygate report

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson committed a serious contempt of Parliamentary rules in deliberately misleading the House of Commons about his involvement in the so-called Partygate pandemic lockdown rule breaking, a Parliamentary committee has concluded.

The seven-member panel, with a majority from Johnson's own Conservative Party, published its long-delayed 30,000-word judgement on Thursday, and its conclusions were even more damning than had been expected.

Last week Johnson resigned as a member of Parliament, "for now", having seen the inquiry's findings, and dismissing the committee as a "kangaroo court" whose purpose "has been to find me guilty, regardless of the facts".

If the committee had recommended he should serve a 10-day suspension from the House, Johnson could have faced the prospect of a by-election in his seat, but its findings revealed he had faced a 90-day ban, with two members suggesting that he should be expelled from the House of Commons altogether.

It also said that he had been "complicit in the campaign of abuse and attempted intimidation of the Committee" and recommended that the limited visiting rights to the Commons, usually extended to former members, should be withheld.

The initial response of BBC Political Editor Chris Mason to the report was that "in breadth and depth, (it) demolishes Boris Johnson's character and conduct," adding that it was "unflinching, unsparing and devastating for him."

In addition to Johnson's conduct over his accounts of his behavior during lockdown, which saw him fined by the police, the report said his comments about the way the inquiry had been conducted "attacks in very strong, indeed vitriolic, terms the integrity, honesty and honor of its members," which "amounts to an attack on our democratic institutions."

Johnson issued a statement calling the report "rubbish… a lie", and spoke of "patently absurd" things being said "in order to reach this deranged conclusion".

A statement from an unnamed junior Downing Street official in the report says Johnson's office was "like an island oasis of normality" while the public followed lockdown rules.

"It was all a pantomime. Birthday parties, leaving parties and end of the week gatherings all continued as normal. Those responsible for the leadership of (Downing Street) failed to keep it a safe space and should have set rules from the start that these gatherings should not continue."

Opposition parties have savaged Johnson's behavior and criticized UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for failing to stand up to him.

Thangam Debbonaire, the opposition Labour Party's shadow leader of the House of Commons, called Johnson a "lawbreaker and a liar" and said Sunak was too weak to handle him.

"This report makes it even more inconceivable that the prime minister approved Boris Johnson's resignation honors list just a week ago, as part of some sort of grubby deal rather than waiting for this report and saying 'no' to his former boss," she added.

Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, also called Johnson "a liar and law-breaker" who had "treated the public with utter disdain", saying that a general election was needed to "give people the chance to end this charade".

A representative of the COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK group said Johnson had "shown no remorse" for partying as their relatives died, alone.

"Instead he lied to our faces when he told us that he'd done 'all he could' to protect our loved ones," said David Garfinkel.

"He lied again when he said the rules hadn't been broken in Number 10, and he's lied ever since when he's denied it again and again.

"It's an utter tragedy that Johnson was in charge when the pandemic struck and he should never be allowed to stand for any form of public office again."