A summary of today's developments
Boris Johnson faces being formally reprimanded for recklessly misleading parliament after MPs investigating the Partygate scandal denounced his “flimsy” explanations and suggested he had wrongly interpreted Covid guidance. The former prime minister was left fighting for his political career after a tetchy three-and-a-half-hour evidence session in which he repeatedly claimed No 10 parties, with alcohol and little social distancing, had been “necessary” for work purposes. Harriet Harman, chair of the privileges committee investigating whether Johnson deliberately misled MPs over lockdown gatherings, expressed dismay at the “flimsy nature” of assurances he received that events were within the rules.
Rishi Sunak’s financial records have been released to the public on the same day as the earlier vote on the Windsor Framework and the televised inquisition of Johnson. According to the release, he paid more than £1m in tax over the past three financial years. This included paying £432,493 in the 2021/22 financial year. Between his income and capital gains, Sunak made £4,766,962 in the past three financial years. This includes £3,760,588 made from a US-based blind investment fund - for which tax was paid in the US, as well as some in the UK.
Twenty-two Conservative MPs voted against the government on the Northern Ireland protocol deal. There were also 48 Tory MPs who did not vote.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former business secretary, told the World at One he would vote against the government even though he was in favour of the Stormont brake, which he said “could turn out to be useful”. He was voting against because “unfortunately” the government was treating this as a vote on the principle of the Northern Ireland protocol deal as a whole.
The Conservative party deputy chair Lee Anderson has revealed he will be paid £100,000 a year for hosting a show on GB News, PA Media reports.
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Updated
Boris Johnson faces being formally reprimanded for recklessly misleading parliament after MPs investigating the Partygate scandal denounced his “flimsy” explanations and suggested he had wrongly interpreted Covid guidance.
The former prime minister was left fighting for his political career after a tetchy three-and-a-half-hour evidence session in which he repeatedly claimed No 10 parties, with alcohol and little social distancing, had been “necessary” for work purposes.
Harriet Harman, the chair of the privileges committee investigating whether Johnson deliberately misled MPs over lockdown gatherings, expressed dismay at the “flimsy nature” of assurances he received that events were within the rules.
Bernard Jenkin, a senior Conservative MP on the committee, told him that the cross-party group of MPs did not agree with his interpretation of the guidance. “The guidance does not say you can have a thank you party and as many people in the room as you like,” he added.
