New revelations about gatherings, conversations with key witnesses and press briefings
The 52 pages of Boris Johnson’s Partygate defence dossier drip with insights into the way he and senior No 10 figures tried to deal with and contain what became a spiralling scandal that engulfed his premiership.
Looking back on the assurances he gave, Johnson acknowledged he went off script and that ultimately “the Commons was misled by my statements”. “My knowledge of what was going on at any given time was imperfect and mostly second-hand,” he admitted.Johnson turned to Jack Doyle, his then-director of communication, for answers. He was told how there was a weekly gathering by the press office on Friday afternoons, often involving drink. On this occasion, there was cheese and wine as well as a secret Santa.Johnson claimed he was too distracted to have noticed the party at the time.
Another piece of evidence Johnson used to suggest he was simply repeating assurances he had been given came in the form of a PMQs prep pack on 8 December. The written briefing was said to have contained the line: “No 10 has always followed all Covid rules.” “I personally attended five of the events referred to by the [privileges] committee,” confessed Johnson.“I can only assume that it related to conduct after my departure, and that the event escalated into something different in nature to what I had seen,” was Johnson’s defence.
The No 10 official is said to have observed: “He had a glass of water in his hand, made a short speech and then went up to his flat. He was the most sensible person there to be honest.”While Johnson maintains throughout that his misleading of parliament was neither intentional nor reckless, he accepted the rules were treated flexibly.
He also believed the Christmas party in 2020 was “firmly within the work exception”, which allowed people to leave their home during lockdown if necessary to do their job. “The only exception is the assertions of the discredited Dominic Cummings, which are not supported by any documentation.” “I accept that I could see into the Press Office on my way to the flat, although my attention is often elsewhere when I am returning to the flat,” was his explanation.Notably absent from the 14,200-word document produced by Johnson was any mention of one of the most curious aspects of the whole scandal: “the Abba party”.
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