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A U.K. parliamentary committee on Thursday issued a damning report concluding that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson deliberately misled lawmakers over what he knew about multiple lockdown-flouting parties at his office and government buildings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lawmakers voted in April 2022 for the seven-member panel to investigate Johnson’s conduct over “partygate,” a series of boozy gatherings attended by Johnson and his staff that broke rules and eventually contributed to his downfall.
Here are the key points of the report:
What was the committee tasked to do?
The seven lawmakers – including four from Johnson’s Conservatives and three from opposition parties – examined what Johnson told the House of Commons about gatherings in Downing Street in 2020 and 2021.
If a statement was misleading, the committee said it considered whether it was a “genuine error or was intentional or reckless,” and whether the record was corrected in good time.
The committee said the investigation “goes to the very heart of our democracy.” “Misleading the House is not a technical issue, but a matter of great importance,” it said.
What gatherings were there?
The report detailed evidence of six gatherings that took place in government buildings at a time when Johnson frequently appeared on television urging people to stick to strict social distancing rules.
The events included send-off parties for staff and a Christmas “drinks event with cheese and wine.
