Boris Johnson found to have committed ‘repeated contempts’ of Parliament

Boris Johnson committed ‘repeated contempts’ of Parliament with his partygate denials that merited a 90-day suspension, a cross-party investigation has found (Victoria Jones/PA)

Boris Johnson committed “repeated contempts” of Parliament with his partygate denials that merited a 90-day suspension, a cross-party investigation has found.

The Privileges Committee’s recommended suspension for acts, including deliberately misleading MPs, would have paved the way for a by-election for the former British prime minister if he had not resigned in anticipation.

Mr Johnson hit out at what he called a “deranged conclusion”, accusing the Tory-majority group of MPs he has repeatedly sought to disparage of lying.

He called the committee led by Labour veteran Harriet Harman “beneath contempt” and claimed its 14-month investigation had delivered “what is intended to be the final knife-thrust in a protracted political assassination”.

The MPs recommended that Mr Johnson should not be given a former member’s pass, which would grant him access to the parliamentary estate.

Before his resignation on Friday, they said they had professionally agreed a suspension long enough to potentially trigger a by-election.

The front page of the Privileges Committee’s report (PA)

But they said he committed further contempts for offences including undermining the democratic processes of the Commons and being “complicit in the campaign of abuse and attempted intimidation of the committee”.

Mr Johnson quit the House of Commons last week after reading the report’s findings, meaning he will escape the immediate prospect of a sanction.

The recommended suspension far exceeded the 10-day threshold which, if approved by the wider House of Commons, could have led to a by-election in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.

Attacking the committee’s findings, Mr Johnson said: “This is rubbish. It is a lie.

“This is a dreadful day for MPs and for democracy.” The committee, comprised of four Tories, two Labour MPs, and one from the SNP, found he misled the House in five ways with his Covid-19 assurances and had been “disingenuous” with their investigation multiple times.

They found many aspects of his defence were “not credible”, allowing them to conclude he “intended to mislead” MPs.

The MPs considered whether it should have recommended expelling Mr Johnson from the Commons.

During discussion of the report’s final findings, the SNP’s Allan Dorans and Labour’s Yvonne Fovargue backed the stronger sanction.

But the amendment was opposed by the Conservative members: Charles Walker, Andy Carter, Alberto Costa and Bernard Jenkin, whom Mr Johnson has urged to resign over his own alleged rule-breach.