Sunak refuses to say how he will vote on committee's partygate report

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

Rishi Sunak has repeatedly refused to say whether he would approve a report which found Boris Johnson lied to parliament over partygate ahead of a vote over a committee investigation.

Speaking to broadcasters, Mr Sunak said the vote on the Privileges Committee report was not a matter for government and he did not want to influence other MPs.

The prime minister said: "Well this committee was established under the former prime minister.

"It commanded the confidence of the house at the time and I'm sure that they have done their work thoroughly and I respect them for that, obviously this is a matter for the house and not the government and that's why each individual colleague will make up their minds when the time comes."

When repeatedly pressed around how he would vote, he continued: "This is a matter for the house rather than the government, that's an important distinction and that is why I wouldn't want to influence anyone in advance of that vote.

"It will be up to each and every individual MP to make a decision of what they want to do when the time comes, it's important the government doesn't get involved in that because it is a matter for parliament and members as individuals, not as members as government."

The motion on the Privileges Committee's findings comes as Scotland Yard is "considering" the footage from a 2020 Christmas gathering at Conservative Party headquarters.

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, who has apologised for the video showing Tory staff dancing and joking about Covid restrictions, will also abstain from a vote.

He said it was a matter for each individual MP to decide their own course of action over the committee findings - leaving the door open for other Conservatives to follow suit and potentially avoid casting a ballot.

Tory MPs will be given a free vote, but allies of Mr Johnson have warned they could face battles with their local parties to remain as candidates at the next election if they back the motion.

The former prime minister was urging his allies not to oppose it, arguing the sanctions have no practical effect, although critics believe the level of support shown for him would have been low anyway.

But with at least three potentially damaging by-elections looming following the resignations of Mr Johnson, Nigel Adams and David Warburton, many could decide instead to spend Monday hitting the campaign trail.

In a scathing 108-page report, the cross-party group of MPs recommended a 90-day suspension for Mr Johnson's "repeated contempts" of Parliament had he not pre-emptively resigned. It also says he should be denied the parliamentary pass usually given to former MPs.

The former Conservative leader has dismissed the findings of the committee, which he likened to a "kangaroo court", as smacking of "bias" - attacks which led it to recommend a harsher sanction against him.

If the report is not opposed then it could just be nodded through the Commons.

The sanctions proposed by the Tory-majority committee are expected to pass regardless, with only a relatively small group of Johnson loyalists likely to oppose the report's findings.

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