Boris Johnson hearing – latest news: Partygate inquiry set to publish ex-PM’s defence dossier

Boris Johnson’s defense in the inquiry into whether he misled Parliament over his knowledge of Downing Street parties during lockdown is due to be published today.

The Independent expects the Privileges Committee conducting the inquiry to release a redacted version of the former Prime Minister’s evidence dossier by early afternoon.

A group of Conservative MPs who support Brexit are set to announce their expert panel’s legal view on Rishi Sunak’s deal with the European Union ahead of a vote in the House of Commons today.

The Tory Brexiteers’ European Research Group (ERG) has tasked a so-called “Star Chamber” of lawyers to examine the Windsor Framework before deciding on the vote on Wednesday.

It comes a day before a vote in the House of Commons on the so-called “Stormont Brake” element of the deal negotiated by Rishi Sunak with the European Commission.

Reports suggest the ERG’s legal team, led by veteran Eurosceptic MP Sir Bill Cash, will believe the brake is impractical and the deal does not go far enough.

Rishi Sunak has not said if he believed his own daughters could trust the Metropolitan Police after the shock report, which found alarmingly widespread misogyny and racism in the force.

Asked if he thought his daughters could trust the police in London, Mr Sunak said BBC Breakfast: “Of course we have to answer yes to this question.

“Obviously trust in the police at the moment has been badly damaged by the things that we have discovered over the past year.”

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Rishi Sunak has cast doubt on rumors that flights carrying migrants to Rwanda will begin this summer.

When told that Home Secretary Suella Braverman had proposed the flights to begin this summer, the Prime Minister told BBC Breakfast: “No, she didn’t say that and what she did say was that when the court case was completed then we can start the flights as soon as possible.

“But ultimately we have to go through the court process, with the guidelines being challenged. We won the first fight of it and will continue to defend the policy.”

Boris Johnson told Parliament that Covid rules had been followed “at all times” at the No 10 parties without explicit assurances from advisers, according to a new report.

A Whitehall source told The times that Mr Johnson had “gone off script” when he told the Commons on 8 December 2022: “The guidelines have been followed and the rules have been followed at all times.”

However, in its recent scathing 20-page interim report, the Privileges Committee scorned the fact that Mr Johnson’s main claim – that all Covid rules were being followed – came from a special counsel and was not a “general assurance (that) no guidance or rules were broken”. .

adam woods follows the developments:

Boris Johnson was seen leaving his home in London after presenting his defense to the Privileges Committee’s inquiry into whether he misled Parliament over the Partygate scandal.

Mr Johnson’s legal team finally handed the committee a defense dossier on Monday, the rebuttal of which is expected to be released today after redactions were made.

The committee investigating whether Boris Johnson lied to Parliament about his Partygate denials should “be allowed to go ahead and do its job,” said Transport Secretary Mark Harper, as the former PM’s allies make claims aimed at the discredit the process.

Asked about claims it was a “kangaroo court,” Mr Harper told Times Radio: “The Privileges Committee was set up by the House of Commons. It was a unanimous decision by the House of Commons, with not a single MP opposing its establishment.

“I think the Privileges Committee should go ahead and be allowed to do its job.”

Asked if he would support any of the committee’s recommendations, Mr Harper said: “I think we should wait and see, they do a piece of work, we should let the process unfold and as I said it’s a matter for Parliament not a matter for the government.”

Rishi Sunak said he would not tell his MPs how to vote on a sanction that may be recommended by a committee trying to determine whether Boris Johnson lied to parliament about his Partygate denials.

The Prime Minister told BBC Breakfast: “These are matters for Parliament and the House of Representatives and MPs as individuals and not for the Government. So that’s the general process that we’re going to follow.

Asked whether he agreed with the way some of Mr Johnson’s allies portrayed the inquiry as a witch hunt, Mr Sunak said: “This is ultimately something for Boris Johnson and he has to go through the committee procedure and that is for Parliament to do. That’s not what I’m concentrating on.”

The former Prime Minister’s inquiry was launched 11 months ago by the Privileges Committee and earlier this month he published his first findings that the Commons may have been misled on multiple occasions.

Here’s everything you need to know about the investigation:

The rising cost of supporting energy bills pushed government borrowing to a record £16.7 billion last month, according to official figures.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said federal borrowing increased by $9.7 billion in February from a year earlier.

It also showed that £6.9bn in interest on debt boosted borrowing in February, despite falling £1.3bn; the first drop in debt interest payments since April 2021 due to slowing inflation.

Public sector borrowing was the highest February figure since monthly records began in 1993 and exceeded the £11.7 billion expected by most economists. That brings the year-to-date total to £132.2 billion.

Mr Hunt said: “Borrowing is still high because we are determined to support households and businesses as prices rise, spending around £1,500 per household to pay just under half of people’s energy bills this winter.

“What will directly drive those costs down is lower inflation, so cutting them in half this year remains one of our top priorities, alongside growing our economy and deleveraging.”