UK PM Boris Johnson to face parliamentary probe on partygate

Boris Johnson will face a parliamentary probe into whether the British prime minister broke coronavirus restrictions by attending illegal gatherings.

Boris Johnson will face a parliamentary probe after members of Parliament voted in the House of Commons on Thursday in favour of an investigation into whether the British prime minister broke coronavirus restrictions by attending illegal gatherings, the scandal referred to as partygate.

While Johnson was miles away in India on a two-day bilateral visit, MPs shouted “aye” for the Parliament’s Committee of Privileges to investigate whether the UK prime minister knowingly misled Parliament.

The vote, tabled by the Opposition Labour Party, passed without the need of a formal vote as the Conservative Party benches were sparsely attended after the ruling party abandoned a planned amendment to delay the motion. Under parliamentary rules, UK government ministers are expected to resign for knowingly misleading MPs and correct the record as soon as possible if they inadvertently tell Parliament something false.

Speaking in Ahmedabad, Johnson said "if the Opposition want to focus on this and talk about it a lot more that's fine" but he "wanted to focus on what matters for the future of the country", including boosting trade ties with India.

Defending Johnson in the Commons during the debate, UK Cabinet Office Minister Michael Ellis said the UK PM did not mislead the Commons, but made comments about partygate revelations "in good faith".

He added that the prime minister "has always been clear that he is happy to face whatever inquiries Parliament sees fit".

"He has responded to the event for which he has received a fixed-penalty notice," Ellis said.