MPs vote overwhelmingly to approve damning Partygate report into Boris Johnson

MPs have overwhelmingly backed the findings of a report that found Boris Johnson mislead and lied to Parliament over partygate, Robert Peston reports

MPs have voted overwhelmingly to approve a damning report that found Boris Johnson misled Parliament about lockdown parties, while Rishi Sunak did not turn up to take part.

Just seven MPs voted against the Privileges Committee’s findings, in a humiliating turn of events for the former prime minister.

With 354 votes in favour, MPs endorsed sanctions against Mr Johnson recommended by the committee, including banning him from having a pass to access Parliament – which is usually available to former MPs.

The Tory-majority panel also concluded that Mr Johnson should have faced a 90-day suspension as recommended by the committee had he not already quit as an MP.

Speaking to MPs, Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt said the debate on the committee's findings was important for public trust and the right of MPs "not to be misled".

Former Conservative Prime Minister, Theresa May, urged MPs to back the report and similarly said the outcome will be a "small but important step in restoring people's trust" in Parliament.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak didn't turn up to the Commons after insisting it is a "matter for the house and not the government", after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer urged him to "show leadership" and adopt a clear position.

The prime minister said 'this is a matter for the house and not the government' when asked how he would vote on the Privileges Committee report

Speaking in the House of Commons, Ms Mordaunt thanked the Privileges Committee for its work and confirmed she would be voting in favour of its findings and recommendations.

Meanwhile, shadow Commons Leader Thangam Debbonaire said Boris Johnson is "a far cry from a prime minister this country can be proud of".

The Conservative majority privileges committee released its verdict on Boris Johnson last week, outlining that he committed "repeated" and "serious" contempts of Parliament by lying to MPs about pandemic gatherings held in Downing Street.

Mr Johnson furiously hit back at the committee's verdict, likening the cross-party group to a "kangaroo court" and accusing it of conducting a "witch hunt" against him.

In the Commons on Monday, MPs heard how members of the committee have had to withstand a campaign of "threats, intimidation and harassment" in a bid to reduce its legitimacy.

'I will be voting to support the committee's report', says Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt, as MPs begin to debate a report that found Boris Johnson lied to MPs

Labour veteran and Privileges Committee chair, Harriet Harman, said MPs have "had to withstand a campaign of threats, intimidation, and harassment designed to challenge the legitimacy of the inquiry, to drive them off the Committee and thereby frustrate the intention of the House that this inquiry should be carried out. Yet through all this, they have not given into the intimidation."

Ms Harman was then questioned by Mr Johnson ally, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, over whether her work was affected by bias.

Ms Harman confirmed to MPs that she had offered to stand down as the committee chair when accused of sharing biased tweets about partygate.

Watching on in the MPs' guests gallery for the first couple of hours of the debate was actor Sir Ian McKellen, who was occasionally using a pair of magnifying glasses to see the proceedings.

'That's a mic drop, Jacob Rees-Mogg', says one Labour MP after Harriet Harman defends herself against allegations of bias

Monday's partygate debate came as new video footage emerged that could trigger a new police investigation into parties held by Conservatives during the pandemic.

Held at Conservative Party HQ, the video shows Tory staffers dancing and mocking Covid rules. At least 24 people were reported to have attended, including Shaun Bailey, who was given a peerage in Boris Johnson's resignation honours list.

Speaking to the media on Monday, the unsuccessful London mayoral candidate said he apologised "unreservedly" for what was shown in the video, which was taken at the event he attended in December 2020.

He said he left the event before the video was taken.

'It obviously turned into something once I had left', says Shaun Bailey, after video footage shows his staff members partying at an event he attended during the pandemic

Speaking on The News Agents Podcast on Monday, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley implied action will most likely be taken in the wake of the video.

He said: "As people know, that case has been previously looked at based on a photo. It's very obvious a video tells a much richer, clearer story than a photo. And so, the team are looking at that with a view to whether that provides a basis for further investigation."

He added: "I need to let a team work through that but I think we can all guess which way it will go."

What did Boris Johnson really know about Downing Street’s notorious parties? With fresh revelations from our sources, in their own words, listen to the definitive behind-closed-doors story of one of the biggest scandals of our era