MPs investigating whether Boris Johnson deliberately misled parliament over the Partygate scandal have demanded a tranche of documents, including the prime minister’s diaries and photographs of events.
The committee of privileges, which will begin holding evidence sessions in September, after the summer recess, wrote to Mr Johnson and the cabinet secretary, Simon Case, on Friday.
Ordering No 10 to release the documents, MPs requested Mr Johnson’s diaries covering eight dates – including 19 June 2020, when a birthday gathering was held for the prime minister in the cabinet room.
Both Mr Johnson and the former chancellor, Rishi Sunak, were issued with fixed penalty notices by the Metropolitan Police in relation to this event, as part of the Met’s investigation into breaches of Covid regulations.
The MPs demanded the release of all email and electronic event invitations – including those sent via WhatsApp – along with Downing Street entry logs. They also requested the prime minister’s briefing packs for his appearances in the Commons.
In addition, the committee requested “all photos for days where Mr Johnson attended any event included in the timeline, including those by the PM’s official photographer Andrew Parsons”.
After the prime minister told MPs in December that he had received assurances that no Covid rules had been broken, the committee urged No 10 to release “all advice (including legal advice) and assurances received by Mr Johnson” relating to the events in question.
In her letter to Mr Case and Mr Johnson, the chair of the committee, Labour MP Harriet Harman, said: “The committee would be grateful to receive the specified documents by no later than 15 August.”
Downing Street, however, could not guarantee that it would provide the committee with all the evidence requested. “You will appreciate that we have recently received those letters and requests, which we’ll now take a proper look at,” a No 10 spokesperson said.
“As we’ve said before, we will assist the committee in their inquiries, but once we’ve had the time to look at the letters and requests we’ll set out our response to the committee.”
Before Mr Johnson announced his resignation last week, some MPs had been awaiting the outcome of the committee’s inquiry before moving against the prime minister.
In spite of Mr Johnson’s imminent departure from Downing Street, the committee will continue its work into whether he deliberately misled parliament, with the issue likely to be thrust back into the spotlight in September. The committee has the power to recommend sanctions if the prime minister is found to have breached parliamentary rules.
