Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that No 10 had constant regard for Covid-19 restrictions during his tenure, pointing out that employees attending a farewell party for colleagues during lockdown “didn’t use each other’s pens”.
Mr Johnson was speaking before the UK Parliament's Privileges Committee on Wednesday afternoon as part of an inquiry into whether he misled MPs over the partygate scandal.
After marching into the room sporting a fresh haircut, Mr Johnson took to the hot seat to defend himself in a grilling by the seven-member panel. He was welcomed by several Conservative allies who shouted: “Hear! Hear!”
Asked if he felt holding a farewell party for two staff members could be justified even if social distancing rules could not be observed in a meeting room in No 10, Mr Johnson said it could.
He stressed that it was “essential to thank staff” for their efforts, saying that the party marking the resignation of Lee Cain and a second staff member “had to happen”.
When asked what steps were put in place to ensure attendees were abiding by Covid rules, he said they “didn’t use each other’s pens” and “didn’t pass things to each other”.
Harriet Harman, the Labour chairwoman of the committee, interjected to correct Mr Johnson. She pointed to a photo of the party showing bottles of alcohol on a table and staff standing around. The image, she said, suggests that “presumably people were passing drinks to each other”.
“Of course,” Mr Johnson admitted.
The outcome of the inquiry could determine the future of Mr Johnson’s political career.
Committee member Andy Carter, a Tory MP, grilled Mr Johnson on comments he had made in the House of Commons at Prime Minister’s Questions on December 1 and 8, 2021, in which he denied rules had been broken during lockdown.
Mr Johnson responded by saying that on those days, he was not aware that gatherings could have been in breach of restrictions, and stressed there was “no trace” in the committee’s evidence to suggest otherwise.
The Conservative former prime minister said there is confusion between Covid-19 guidance and Covid-19 rules. He argued that he did not think the British public would expect No 10 staff to follow the guidance in the same way that rules should be followed.
Mr Johnson suggested that if committee members had been “in my shoes”, it may also have not occurred to them that gatherings were in breach of the rules.
He pointed out that he “was not accused of lawbreaking” when asked why he failed to consult a lawyer before telling MPs that rules were abided by at all times.
Raising his voice in a clear indication of his frustration three hours into the meeting, he criticised the repeated questions over his failure to consult a lawyer.
“This is complete nonsense,” he fumed. “I spoke to the relevant people, they were senior people, they were working very hard.”
Several Tory MPs turned up to the much-anticipated committee hearing to support Mr Johnson.
Marco Longhi patted his colleague on the shoulder as he exited the room.
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Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl
Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm
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Price: Dh99,000
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$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
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Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Where to submit a sample
Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
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Company profile
Name: One Good Thing
Founders: Bridgett Lau and Micheal Cooke
Based in: Dubai
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 5 employees
Stage: Looking for seed funding
Investors: Self-funded and seeking external investors
