Boris Johnson DID mislead MPs when he denied lockdown-busting parties took place in No10, MPs ruled today.
If the disgraced ex-PM had not already quit last week, he would have faced a 90-day suspension from Parliament, triggering a by-election in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.
After a probe of more than a year, the Commons Privileges Committee published a damning 108-page report today, which said Mr Johnson had misled Parliament on multiple occasions.
Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt told MPs there would be a vote on the report on Monday - Mr Johnson's 59th birthday.
The report said: “Mr Johnson misled the House when he said on 1 December 2021 that all Guidance was followed completely in No10, when he said on 8 December 2021 that the Rules and Guidance were followed at all times, on 12 January 2022 when he said that events at No10 were within the Rules and Guidance, and on 25 May 2022 when he said that the Rules and Guidance had been followed at all times when he was present at gatherings to wish staff farewell.
“Mr Johnson misled the House when he failed to tell the House about his own knowledge of the gatherings where the Rules or Guidance had been broken.
“Mr Johnson misled the House when he said on 8 December 2021 that he relied upon repeated assurances that the rules had not been broken.”
The scathing report said he knew about breaches of the rules in No10 and he knew what the Covid rules and guidance were - which his own Government had imposed.
It said he was "deliberately disingenuous" in trying to reframe his statements - and attempting to come up with excuses to justify the parties.
The committee said he committed further contempts for undermining the democratic processes of the Commons by ranting that the inquiry was a "kangaroo court" as he quit in fury.
The MPs said he was "complicit in the campaign of abuse and attempted intimidation of the committee".
It recommended that he should not receive the pass granting access to Parliament which is normally given to former MPs.
Issuing a furious, 1,679-word response, the bitter ex-PM blasted committee chairwoman Harriet Harman as he cried: “This report is a charade.
If you can't see the poll, click here
“I was wrong to believe in the Committee or its good faith. The terrible truth is that it is not I who has twisted the truth to suit my purposes. It is Harriet Harman and her Committee. This is a dreadful day for MPs and for democracy.
“This decision means that no MP is free from vendetta, or expulsion on trumped up charges by a tiny minority who want to see him or her gone from the Commons.”
The shamed former Prime Minister received a draft copy of the report last Thursday - and on Friday sensationally announced he was quitting as an MP as he branded the probe a “witch hunt”.
The 30,000-word report, which took MPs 14 months to draw up, is expected to be debated and potentially voted on by MPs on Monday.
Leader of the Commons Penny Mordaunt is set to outline further details when she updates MPs on future parliamentary business from 10.30am.
The report was triggered after allegations Mr Johnson, who resigned MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip in West London, misled MPs when he told the Commons in December 2021 that lockdown rules were followed at all times in No10, following the Mirror's Partygate revelations.
Bereaved families said Mr Johnson "should never be allowed to stand for any form of public office again",.
David Garfinkel, spokesperson for Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice UK, said: "This is another grim reminder that whilst families like mine were saying goodbye to our loved ones over Zoom, the same prime minister that failed us so badly in the first place was breaking his own rules so he could have a party and a laugh.
"Johnson has shown no remorse. Instead he lied to our faces when he told us that he'd done 'all he could' to protect our loved ones.
"He lied again when he said the rules hadn't been broken in Number 10, and he's lied ever since when he's denied it again and again.
"It's an utter tragedy that Johnson was in charge when the pandemic struck and he should never be allowed to stand for any form of public office again."
Asked about the Privileges Committee’s report, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman said: “This is the work of a parliamentary committee the House voted on to carry out their work.
“Its conclusions and recommendations are for the committee, and its members have fulfilled their mandate from the House.
“In line with proper process, it’s for the House and MPs to consider its findings.
“For the Government’s part, we will facilitate debate very quickly on the report so that MPs can respond and express their views and the House collectively can take a view on the committee’s findings.”
It is understood Mr Sunak has not read the report.
MPs will be given a free vote.
